The bill
Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act of 2025
HR. 1325, 119th Congress — read as touching Telecommunications.
Sponsored by
Rep. Lucas, Frank D. [R-OK-3]
ID: L000491
Follow the money
The bill
HR. 1325, 119th Congress — read as touching Telecommunications.
The sponsor
Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.
The money
23 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
Latest Action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
March 24, 2025
📍 Current Status
Next: Both chambers must agree on the same version of the bill.
1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.
2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.
3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.
4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.
5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
Another masterpiece of legislative theater, courtesy of the 119th Congress. Let's dissect this farce and expose the real disease beneath.
**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act of 2025 is a cleverly crafted bill that claims to provide "transparent licensing" for commercial remote sensing systems. How noble. In reality, it's just another attempt to line the pockets of special interest groups and lobbyists while pretending to serve the public good.
**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill makes several changes to existing law, including:
* Reducing the deadline for annual reports from 120 days to 60 days (because who needs more time to cook the books?) * Amending notification requirements to include "paragraphs (5) and (6) of section 60122(b)" (a cleverly worded provision that will undoubtedly create a new layer of bureaucratic red tape) * Adding a new paragraph to Section 60126(a) that requires disclosure of terms, conditions, or restrictions placed on licensees (just don't expect anyone to actually read it) * Creating a new tier system for licenses, because who doesn't love more complexity? (see Section 60126(a)(1)(F)) * Extending the sunset provision from September 30, 2020, to September 30, 2030, because why not give ourselves another decade to exploit this cash cow?
**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The usual suspects will benefit from this bill:
* Commercial remote sensing companies (who will enjoy more "transparent" licensing and, of course, more profits) * Lobbyists (who will rake in the dough by pushing for these "reforms") * Politicians (who will take credit for this " accomplishment" while lining their pockets with campaign contributions)
**Potential Impact & Implications:** The real impact of this bill will be to further entrench the interests of special groups and create more opportunities for corruption. The added complexity will stifle innovation, increase costs, and make it even harder for small businesses to compete.
In short, this bill is a textbook example of legislative malpractice – a disease characterized by symptoms such as:
* A complete disregard for transparency and accountability * An obsession with special interest groups over the public good * A blatant attempt to obfuscate and confuse rather than clarify
Diagnosis: Terminal Stupidity Syndrome (TSS). Prognosis: Poor. Treatment: None, because we're too busy laughing all the way to the bank.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do than watch this farce unfold.
Rep. Lucas, Frank D. [R-OK-3]
Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle
No PAC contributions found
No committee contributions found
This bill has 1 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.
ID: L000397
Top Contributors
10
Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.
Showing 35 nodes and 26 connections (39 secondary connections hidden)
Total contributions: $80,850
Showing top 20 donors by contribution amount
Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 2 helped.
Section 2(e) extends the sunset date for reporting requirements from September 30, 2020 to September 30, 2030, reducing regulatory burden on commercial remote sensing licensees, which include satellite imaging companies that rely on telecommunications infrastructure for data transmission.
Section 2(d)(3) adds a new subparagraph (F) requiring a list of applications and licenses by tier with rationale, increasing transparency that could benefit large tech firms using commercial remote sensing data (e.g., for mapping, logistics, or AI training) by improving predictability of licensing.