RAVES Reporting Act of 2025

H.R. 3697, the Rural American Vitalization in Extraterrestrial Space Reporting Act of 2025 (RAVES Reporting Act), would require the Secretary of Defense to conduct a one-time study and publish guidance on converting rural abandoned factories, space centers, and military bases into space-related manufacturing facilities and space complexes. The study, to be completed within one year of enactment, would be conducted through the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, with input from the State Department’s Office of Space Affairs and the Small Business Administration’s Small Business Development Centers. The bill lays out a broad set of topics to be examined, including costs, needs, environmental and sustainability concerns, local economic impact, workforce and education needs, potential partnerships with community colleges, AI-related workforce effects, the number of suitable sites as of 2025, funding and incentives, national security considerations (including Space Command), timelines, and input from NASA-collaborating entities and aerospace experts. The Secretary must submit the study and guidance to Congress. The bill also provides specific definitions for terms like “abandoned,” “rural area,” “factory,” and “space complex.”