Nuclear Forensics Authority Realignment Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 464 To realign the nuclear forensics and attribution activities of the Federal Government from the Department of Homeland Security to the National Nuclear Security Administration. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 25, 2021 Mr. FOSTER (for himself and Mr. FORTENBERRY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, Homeland Security, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To realign the nuclear forensics and attribution activities of the Federal Government from the Department of Homeland Security to the National Nuclear Security Ad- ministration. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Nuclear Forensics Au- 4 thority Realignment Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 16:10 Feb 13, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H464.IH H464 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 464 IH SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL NUCLEAR 1 FORENSICS CENTER. 2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 3 (1) IN GENERAL.—The National Nuclear Secu- 4 rity Administration Act (50 U.S.C. 2401 et seq.) is 5 amended by inserting after section 3221 the fol- 6 lowing new section: 7 ‘‘SEC. 3222. NATIONAL NUCLEAR FORENSICS CENTER. 8 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is within the Admin- 9 istration a National Nuclear Forensics Center (in this sec- 10 tion referred to as the ‘Center’). 11 ‘‘(b) MISSION.—The mission of the Center shall be 12 to coordinate stewardship, planning, assessment, gap anal- 13 ysis, exercises, improvement, including operational im- 14 provements and research, development, testing, and eval- 15 uation, and integration for all Federal nuclear forensics 16 and attribution activities to ensure an enduring national 17 technical nuclear forensics capability to strengthen the col- 18 lective response of the United States to nuclear terrorism 19 or other nuclear attacks.’’. 20 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con- 21 tents at the beginning of such Act is amended by in- 22 serting after the item relating to section 3221 the 23 following new item: 24 ‘‘Sec. 3222. National Nuclear Forensics Center.’’. VerDate Sep 11 2014 16:10 Feb 13, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\H464.IH H464 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 464 IH (3) NUCLEAR FORENSICS EXPERTISE.—Not 1 later than one year after the date of the enactment 2 of this Act, the Administrator for Nuclear Security 3 shall develop and implement a plan to modify the 4 university program of the National Nuclear Security 5 Administration established under section 4814 of the 6 Atomic Energy Defense Act (50 U.S.C. 2795) to in- 7 clude the development of expertise in nuclear 8 forensics in supporting scientific and engineering ad- 9 vancement in key Department of Energy defense 10 and national security program areas. 11 (b) CONFORMING REPEALS.— 12 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Nuclear Forensics and 13 Attribution Act (Public Law 111–140) is hereby re- 14 pealed. 15 (2) HOMELAND SECURITY ACT OF 2002.—Title 16 XIX of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 17 U.S.C. 590 et seq.) is amended as follows: 18 (A) In section 1923— 19 (i) in subsection (a)— 20 (I) by striking ‘‘(a) MISSION.—’’; 21 (II) in paragraph (9), by striking 22 the semicolon and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 23 (III) by striking paragraphs (10), 24 (11), (12), and (13); and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 16:10 Feb 13, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H464.IH H464 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 464 IH (IV) by redesignating paragraph 1 (14) as paragraph (10); and 2 (ii) by striking subsection (b). 3 (B) In section 1927(a)(1) (6 U.S.C. 4 596a(a)(1))— 5 (i) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by strik- 6 ing the semicolon and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 7 (ii) in subparagraph (B)(iii), by strik- 8 ing ‘‘; and’’ and inserting a period; and 9 (iii) by striking subparagraph (C). 10 (c) REFERENCES AND CONSTRUCTION.—Any ref- 11 erence in any law, regulation, document, paper, or other 12 record of the United States to the National Technical Nu- 13 clear Forensics Center established within the Countering 14 Weapons of Mass Destruction Office of the Department 15 of Homeland Security, formerly the Domestic Nuclear De- 16 tection Office, shall be deemed to be a reference to the 17 National Nuclear Forensics Center established by section 18 3222 of the National Nuclear Security Administration 19 Act, as added by subsection (a). 20 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 16:10 Feb 13, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H464.IH H464 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS