First Regular Session
Seventy-fourth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
REVISED
LLS NO. R23-0828.01 Katelyn Guderian x3205
HJR23-1015
House Committees Senate Committees
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 23-1015
C
ONCERNING REAFFIRMING COLORADO TO BE THE PERMANENT101
LOCATION FOR THE UNITED STATES SPACE COMMAND, AND, IN102
CONNECTION THEREWITH , URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF103
D
EFENSE TO KEEP THE UNITED STATES SPACE COMMAND IN104
C
OLORADO.105
WHEREAS, Our nation and the world have significantly1
benefitted from technological and scientific advances resulting from2
space exploration and aerospace activities, and Colorado is paving the3
way for new discoveries in the frontiers of space by having a rich history4
in aerospace development and being at the forefront of space travel,5
exploration, and aerospace research; and6
WHEREAS, Colorado is the acting provisional Space Command7
SENATE
Final Reading
February 13, 2023
HOUSE
Final Reading
February 10, 2023
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Bradfield and Snyder, Amabile, Armagost, Bacon, Bird, Bockenfeld, Boesenecker,
Bottoms, Bradley, Brown, Catlin, Daugherty, DeGraaf, deGruy Kennedy, Dickson, Duran,
English, Evans, Frizell, Froelich, Garcia, Hamrick, Hartsook, Holtorf, Jodeh, Joseph, Kipp,
Lieder, Lindsay, Lindstedt, Luck, Lukens, Lynch, Mabrey, Marshall, Martinez, Mauro,
McCluskie, McCormick, McLachlan, Michaelson Jenet, Ortiz, Parenti, Pugliese, Ricks,
Sharbini, Sirota, Soper, Story, Taggart, Titone, Valdez, Vigil, Weinberg, Weissman, Willford,
Wilson, Woodrow, Young
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Exum and Gardner, Baisley, Bridges, Buckner, Coleman, Cutter, Danielson, Fenberg,
Fields, Ginal, Gonzales, Hansen, Hinrichsen, Jaquez Lewis, Kirkmeyer, Kolker, Lundeen,
Marchman, Moreno, Mullica, Pelton B., Pelton R., Priola, Rich, Roberts, Rodriguez,
Simpson, Smallwood, Van Winkle, Will, Winter F., Zenzinger
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law. Base, and it will remain the provisional base until 2026. Colorado is also1
the center for United States military space operations and strategy.2
According to the Colorado Space Coalition, the state's military commands3
are the primary customers for space-based research, development,4
acquisitions, and operations, representing nearly 90 percent of5
space-related expenditure by the military. Moving the United States Space6
Command (USSPACECOM) to Huntsville, Alabama, would be7
incredibly disruptive to the National Defense Strategy. In addition, it8
would cause a major upheaval in existing infrastructure and jobs in the9
state, which would result in higher costs and less efficient outcomes for10
the United States military; and11
WHEREAS, Colorado is strategically located at the center of our12
national and space defense. We are the home to five key strategic military13
commands: North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD),14
United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), United States15
Strategic Command's Joint Functional Component Command for Space16
(JFCC Space) Missile Warning Center, the United States Space Force,17
and the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army18
Forces Strategic Command; and five military installations, including19
United States Space Force bases Buckley, Peterson, and Schriever;20
Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station; as well as Fort Carson Army21
Base; and22
WHEREAS, The 460th Space Wing at Buckley Space Force Base23
provides operational command and control of three constellations to24
space-based infrared missile warning systems, has been defending25
America continuously since 1970, and is a critical part of global defense26
and national security; and27
WHEREAS, Colorado leads the charge in bringing current and28
future global positioning system (GPS) assets to life, a service provided29
free to the world by United States Space Force in Colorado Springs.30
Lockheed Martin designs and builds GPS III, the most powerful GPS31
satellite to date, which United Launch Alliance launches, with Raytheon32
Technologies developing the command and control capabilities. Boeing,33
L3Harris Technologies, Braxton Technologies, and Infinity Systems34
Engineering also support GPS development and operations from locations35
in Colorado. These GPS technologies enable an integral part of our global36
economy and have an incalculable impact that has improved the everyday37
lives of billions of people around the world; and38
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-2- WHEREAS, Colorado's aerospace industry is home to a broad1
range of companies that create products and systems for commercial,2
military, and civil space applications, such as spacecraft, launch vehicles,3
satellites, command and control software, sensors, and navigation4
operations. These companies include Ball Aerospace, Boeing,5
DigitalGlobe, L3Harris Technologies, Lockheed Martin Space Systems,6
Northrop Grumman, Raytheon Technologies, Sierra Nevada Corporation,7
Teledyne Brown Engineering, and United Launch Alliance, which make8
up a large portion of the aerospace sector; and9
WHEREAS, Colorado has an existing educated workforce, ranked10
second in the nation for residents with a bachelor's degree or higher, and11
a pipeline of higher education institutions to sustain future growth. We12
are home to the United States Air Force Academy and many colleges and13
universities, including the University of Colorado Boulder and the14
University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado School of Mines,15
Colorado State University, Metropolitan State University of Denver,16
University of Denver, Colorado Mesa University, and Fort Lewis17
College. Altogether, they provide access to world-class aerospace-related18
degrees and offer aerospace companies one of the country's most19
educated workforces; and20
WHEREAS, Colorado is home to some amazing research21
institutions. These institutions include the prestigious Laboratory for22
Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder.23
It began in 1948, a decade before NASA, and is the world's only research24
institute to have sent instruments to all eight planets and to Pluto,25
combining all aspects of space exploration through science, engineering,26
mission operations, and scientific data analysis; and27
WHEREAS, Colorado is also home to the National Oceanic and28
Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center, a29
world-leading center of predictions for the solar and near-Earth space30
environment and the nation's official source of watches, warnings, and31
alerts of incoming solar storms, using satellite observations to protect and32
save lives and property; and33
WHEREAS, Various organizations are key to Colorado's34
prominence in aerospace, such as the Colorado Space Coalition, a group35
of industry stakeholders working to make Colorado a center of excellence36
for aerospace; the Colorado Space Business Roundtable, working to bring37
together aerospace stakeholders from the industry, government, and38
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-3- academia for roundtable discussions and business development and to1
encourage grassroots citizen participation in aerospace issues; the2
Colorado chapter of Citizens for Space Exploration, whose mission is to3
promote better understanding of aerospace and its importance to our4
economy and daily lives, as well as to promote the importance of human5
space exploration; Manufacturer's Edge, a statewide manufacturing6
assistance center that encourages the strength and competitiveness of7
Colorado manufacturers by providing on-site technical assistance through8
coaching, training, and consulting by providing collaboration-focused9
industry programs and by leveraging government, university, and10
economic development partnerships; and the Space Foundation, founded11
in 1983, with its world headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado,12
which holds an annual Space Symposium, bringing together civil,13
commercial, and national security space leaders from around the world to14
discuss, address, and plan for the future of space exploration; and15
WHEREAS, For the aforementioned reasons, it is in the best16
interests of the American taxpayer to keep USSPACECOM in the state17
because Colorado is already fulfilling the mission of the USSPACECOM;18
because Colorado Springs has in place the community infrastructure19
capacity and community support to champion an expanding mission;20
because the move would cost the United States billions of dollars; and21
because the move would severely disrupt the Colorado aerospace22
industry, which has grown to support the mission; now, therefore,23
Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the24
Seventy-fourth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate25
concurring herein:26
That we, the members of the General Assembly:27
(1) Strongly urge the Department of Defense of the Biden-Harris28
administration to reevaluate the merits of this irresponsible decision and29
rightly conclude that it is the correct decision to keep the existing30
USSPACECOM in Colorado, recognizing Colorado's unique blend of31
military installations and major commands, private aerospace companies,32
academic and research institutions, and government entities, and the33
valuable synergies this ecosystem produces;34
(2) Strongly urge the Department of Defense of the Biden-Harris35
administration to permanently base USSPACECOM in Colorado,36
recognizing that Colorado provides the existing command structure, base37
1015
-4- infrastructure, and communications platforms necessary to successfully1
host additional national security initiatives and ensure coordination of2
efforts without committing additional funds;3
(3) Proudly express that Colorado has deep ties with the4
Department of Defense and immense patriotic commitment to providing5
for the nation's security and bolstering our defense;6
(4) Express our most sincere and deepest appreciation to our7
service members and civilian employees working in and supporting8
military and civilian aerospace companies, military installations, and civil9
organizations in Colorado; and10
(5) Hereby declare Colorado to be the prime location for the11
permanent headquarters for USSPACECOM.12
Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent13
to President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.; Vice President Kamala Harris;14
Congressman Kevin McCarthy; Senator Chuck Schumer; Senator Mitch15
McConnell; Senator Michael Bennet; Senator John Hickenlooper;16
Congresswoman Diana DeGette; Congresswoman Lauren Boebert;17
Congressman Jason Crow; Congressman Joe Neguse; Congressman Ken18
Buck; Congressman Doug Lamborn; Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen;19
Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo; Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator; Pam20
Melroy, NASA Deputy Administrator; Phil Washington, Federal Aviation21
Administration Administrator; Governor Jared Polis; Lieutenant22
Governor Dianne Primavera; Brig. Gen. Laura Clellan, The Adjutant23
General, Colorado National Guard; Wayne R. Monteith, Associate24
Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation at the Federal25
Aviation Administration; General John W. "Jay" Raymond, U.S. Space26
Force Chief of Space Operations; Colonel Robert J. Schreiner, USAF,27
Commander Aerospace Data Facility-Colorado; Dr. Christopher Scolese,28
Director, National Reconnaissance Office; Ross Garelick Bell, Executive29
Director, Aerospace States Association; Thomas E. Zelibor, Chief30
Executive Officer, Space Foundation; Dr. Ronald Sega, Co-chair,31
Colorado Space Coalition; Michael Gass, Co-chair, Colorado Space32
Coalition; and Bob Cone, Chair, Colorado Citizens for Space33
Exploration.34
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