Safety for Americans from Nuclear Weapons Testing Act
Latest action · Mar 16, 2009 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMar 16, 2009
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Safety for Americans from Nuclear Weapons Testing Act - Deems the resumption of underground nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site or the use of any other location for such testing to be a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment for which a separate environmental impact statement is required under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Outlines information required to be included in such statement, including: (1) the possibility of radiation containment failure and the effects of such failure; (2) possible long-term effects on the water table from underground radiation leakage; and (3) information with respect to categories of weapons subject to testing.
Prohibits the United States from resuming any such testing unless authorized by a law enacted after the enactment of this Act.
Requires: (1) advance (seven days) public notice of each test; (2) prompt notice of each release of radiation resulting from a test; and (3) a study by the National Academy of Sciences on the safety and health of citizens in the vicinity of the Site. Establishes a Nevada Test Site Citizens Review Board to address environmental, health, and safety issues related to nuclear testing at the Site.
Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to make grants to institutions of higher education to acquire and operate for ten years radiation detection equipment and sensors.
Directs the Secretary of Energy, through the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to monitor any radiation released into the atmosphere as a result of such testing. Requires: (1) DOE radiation containment assessment; and (2) public notice of monitoring data.
Requires the: (1) Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to make a grant to establish the National Center for the Study of Radiation and Human Health; and (2) Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study of individuals exposed to nuclear weapons tests.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Mar 16, 2009.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-UT | Orrin G. Hatch | Original | Mar 16, 2009 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Energy and Natural Resources Committee | Referred Mar 16, 2009 |
| House | Homeland Security Committee | Exchange of letters Sep 22, 2010 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 16, 2009Introduced in Senate
- Mar 16, 2009Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 1417 | Safety for Americans from Nuclear Weapons Testing Act | Related bill | Jan 25, 2010 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to protect public health and safety in the event that testing of nuclear weapons by the United States is resumed.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Safety for Americans from Nuclear Weapons Testing Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Air quality
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Cancer
- Education programs funding
- Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
- Government information and archives
- Government studies and investigations
- Health information and medical records
- Health programs administration and funding
- Higher education
- Medical research
- Military procurement, research, weapons development
- Nevada
- Nuclear weapons
- Radioactive wastes and releases
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Mar 16, 2009Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
