Outer Space Protection Act of 1988

Summary

Outer Space Protection Act of 1988 - Reaffirms U.S. policy that activities in space should be devoted to peaceful purposes to benefit mankind. Prohibits the use of funds by the Department of Defense or any other Government agency for: (1) the development, testing, production, or deployment of any weapon system designed to be based in outer space; (2) the testing of any weapon system to determine its capability to damage or destroy any object in outer space; or (3) the launch of any spacecraft that carries weapons capable of inflicting death or injury on people. Urges and requests the President to enter into bilateral negotiations with the Soviet Union concerning weapons systems in outer space. Specifies the purposes of such negotiations as: (1) prohibiting the development, testing, production, and deployment of all weapons based in outer space and the testing of all weapons against objects in outer space; (2) establishing limitations on technologies that could become weapons; (3) determining methods for monitoring compliance with such limitations and with mutually agreed upon prohibitions on weapons in outer space and the testing of antisatellite weapons; and (4) encouraging the effective utilization of the Standing Consultative Commission (established under the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty) to resolve disagreements and to develop limitations and verification procedures for new technologies. Urges and requests the President, in the event that such negotiations result in an agreement, to initiate discussions in the United Nations toward an international agreement to prohibit the development, testing, production, and deployment of all weapons in outer space and to prohibit the testing of all antisatellite weapons. Requires the Secretary of Defense to manage the long-term basic research on ballistic missile defense technologies so as to provide the United States with expanded options for responding to any future breakout by the Soviet Union from 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Specifies that nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit the obligation or expenditure of funds for non-weapon military operations in outer space. States that the provisions of this Act relating to bilateral negotiations with the Soviet Union and the prohibition on the use of funds for space weapons shall become inapplicable if: (1) the President certifies to the Congress that the Soviet Union has tested space weapons; or (2) the Soviet Union declares its intention to develop and deploy space weapons.

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Timeline

1. 28 April 1988

   Introduced

   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 28 April 1988

   Introduced

   Introduced in Senate

   Source: IntroReferral

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

1 official file

• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 28 April 1988

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Rep. Harkin, Tom [D-IA-5] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Hatfield, Mark O. [R-OR] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Cranston, Alan [D-CA] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Daschle, Thomas A. [D-SD] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Kennedy, Edward M. [D-MA] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Proxmire, William [D-WI] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Sanford, Terry [D-NC] · D · Sponsor
• Rep. Simon, Paul [D-IL-24] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Stafford, Robert T. [R-VT] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Weicker, Lowell P., Jr. [R-CT] · R · Cosponsor
• Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT] · D · Cosponsor
• Sen. Pell, Claiborne [D-RI] · D · Cosponsor
• · ssas00 · Standing

Related records

• related to → Outer Space Protection Act of 1988