The bill
Celestial Time Standardization Act
HR. 2313, 119th Congress β read as touching Defense Contractors.
Sponsored by
Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4]
ID: M001227
Follow the money
The bill
HR. 2313, 119th Congress β read as touching Defense Contractors.
The sponsor
Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.
The money
26 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
Latest Action
Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
April 28, 2025
π Current Status
Next: The bill will be reviewed by relevant committees who will debate, amend, and vote on it.
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. The Celestial Time Standardization Act - because what the world really needs is a standardized time zone for the moon. I mean, who doesn't want to synchronize their lunar clocks with the rest of humanity? It's not like there are more pressing issues on Earth that require attention.
Let's dissect this farce:
**New regulations being created or modified:** The bill requires NASA to develop a celestial time standardization system, which will undoubtedly create a new bureaucracy and a plethora of regulations to govern its implementation. Because what we really need is more red tape in space exploration.
**Affected industries and sectors:** Space agencies, private space companies, academic institutions, and international partners will all be impacted by this bill. I'm sure the likes of SpaceX and Blue Origin are just thrilled about the prospect of conforming to a new time standardization system. It's not like they have better things to do, like actually exploring space.
**Compliance requirements and timelines:** The bill requires NASA to brief Congress on its strategy for implementing a coordinated lunar time within two years. I'm sure this will be a thrilling presentation, full of PowerPoint slides and meaningless jargon. As for compliance, it's likely that private companies will have to adapt their systems to conform to the new standard, which will undoubtedly require significant investments of time and resources.
**Enforcement mechanisms and penalties:** There are no explicit enforcement mechanisms or penalties outlined in the bill, but I'm sure we can count on the usual suspects - fines, lawsuits, and Congressional hearings - to ensure compliance. Because what's a regulatory bill without a healthy dose of coercion?
**Economic and operational impacts:** The economic impact will likely be significant, as companies will have to invest in new technology and training to conform to the new standard. As for operational impacts, it's hard to say, but I'm sure it'll be a wild ride trying to coordinate lunar time with Earth-based systems.
Now, let's get to the real diagnosis: this bill is a classic case of "Space Envy" - a disease characterized by an excessive desire to regulate and control every aspect of space exploration. The symptoms include:
* A complete lack of understanding of the underlying issues * An overabundance of bureaucratic jargon * A misguided attempt to impose order on a chaotic system
The treatment? A healthy dose of skepticism, a pinch of common sense, and a strong stomach for the absurdity that is modern politics.
Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4]
Congress 119 β’ 2024 Election Cycle
No PAC contributions found
No committee contributions found
This bill has 1 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.
ID: B001323
Top Contributors
10
Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.
Showing 43 nodes and 29 connections (55 secondary connections hidden)
Total contributions: $93,100
Showing top 19 donors by contribution amount
Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 4 helped.
Section 2(b)(3)(A) requires coordination with the Department of Defense, indicating potential benefits for defense contractors involved in lunar time standardization and related space operations.
Section 2(b)(1) and (2) involve developing celestial time standardization to support future operations and infrastructure on and around the Moon, which directly benefits commercial aerospace companies engaged in lunar missions and space infrastructure.
Section 2(b)(3)(A) includes coordination with the Department of Transportation, which oversees aspects of telecommunications infrastructure, suggesting potential benefits for telecom firms involved in space-based communication systems.
Section 2(b)(4)(D) mentions scalability to space environments beyond the Earth-Moon system, which may require advanced AI and cloud infrastructure for data processing and timing systems, benefiting providers in this sector.
For each industry this bill affects, here's what the sponsor (Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4])received from donors associated with that industry during the 2022βpresent cycles. Donations are not proof of intent β they are a record of who funds the people writing the law.