To amend the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to require congressional approval of agreements for peaceful nuclear cooperation with foreign countries, and for other purposes.
Latest action · Oct 1, 2012 Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 502.
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 31, 2011
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
(Sec. 1) Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to include as requirements to be met by a cooperating party to an agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation (section 123 agreement) in order to secure congressional approval of the agreement: (1) a prohibition on using equipment, material, or by product material acquired from any source in or for development of a nuclear explosive device; (2) limited access to facilities, equipment, or materials by third country nationals; (3) a commitment to maintain or enact a legal regime protecting U.S. suppliers from civil liability in any effort by the country to develop civilian nuclear power; (4) a prohibition on enrichment or reprocessing activities or construction of facilities; (5) implementation of chemical and biological production and stockpiling conventions; (6) implementation of an export control system; and (7) cooperation with the United States in preventing state sponsors of terrorism from acquiring or developing chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons or destabilizing numbers and types of advanced conventional weapons.
Requires a joint congressional resolution of approval to a subsequent arrangement to a section 123 agreement. (Under current law such an agreement becomes effective unless Congress disapproves it within a specified time period.)
(Sec. 2) Prohibits assistance, other than humanitarian assistance, from being provided to a country that withdraws from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (Treaty). Directs the United States to seek the return of transferred material, equipment, or components or special fissionable material produced through the use of such material, equipment, or components from a country that withdraws from the Treaty.
(Sec. 3) Directs the President to: (1) report to Congress on the extent to which each country that engages in civil nuclear exports requires nuclear nonproliferation requirements comparable to those under this Act, and (2) keep Congress informed of initiatives and negotiations relating to section 123 agreements prior to their announcement.
(Sec. 5) Terminates nuclear exports to a country determined to be a country of proliferation concern.
(Sec. 6) Requires a joint congressional resolution of approval to a section 123 agreement to include any other additional provisions to accompany the proposed agreement.
(Sec. 7) Prohibits the President from issuing a license for the export of nuclear material, facilities, components, services, or technology to a country that does not have liability protection for U.S. nuclear suppliers that is equivalent to the protection under the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage.
(Sec. 8) Prohibits U.S. assistance to a country that has repeatedly supported or engaged in acts of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) or related technologies or equipment. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition for national security or humanitarian reasons.
(Sec. 9) States that it is U.S. policy to ensure that each Treaty country should bring into force an Additional Protocol to its safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Requires the United States, when considering the provision of certain assistance to a Treaty country, to consider whether the proposed recipient has in force an Additional Protocol to its safeguards agreement with the IAEA.
(Sec. 10) Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should ensure that participation in U.S.-conducted international nuclear programs is limited to the greatest extent practicable to governmental and nongovernmental participants from countries that have adopted nonproliferation provisions in their nuclear cooperation and nuclear export control policies comparable to the policies specified in section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954.
Cosponsors 9
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 31, 2011 to Aug 30, 2011; 5 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Brad Sherman | Original | Mar 31, 2011 |
| D-MA | Edward J. Markey | Original | Mar 31, 2011 |
| R-CA | Edward R. Royce | Original | Mar 31, 2011 |
| D-CA | Howard L. Berman | Original | Mar 31, 2011 |
| R-NE | Jeff Fortenberry | Original | Mar 31, 2011 |
| R-IN | Dan Burton | Jul 14, 2011 | |
| R-AZ | Jeff Flake | Jul 14, 2011 | |
| R-OH | Steve Chabot | Jul 14, 2011 | |
| D-MI | John Conyers, Jr. | Aug 30, 2011 |
Committees 3
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Foreign Affairs Committee | Referred Apr 1, 2011Markup Apr 14, 2011Reported May 31, 2012 |
| House | Rules Committee | Referred Apr 1, 2011Discharged Oct 1, 2012 |
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred May 31, 2012Discharged Oct 1, 2012 |
Actions 9
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Oct 1, 2012Committee on Rules discharged.
- Oct 1, 2012Committee on Energy and Commerce discharged.
- Oct 1, 2012Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 502.
- May 30, 2012Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Foreign Affairs. H. Rept. 112-507, Part I.
- May 30, 2012House Committee on Rules Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Oct. 1, 2012.
- May 30, 2012Referred sequentially to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for a period ending not later than Oct. 1, 2012.
- Apr 14, 2011Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Mar 31, 2011Introduced in House
- Mar 31, 2011Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, 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.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Jun 17, 2011H.R. 1280, A bill to amend the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to require Congressional approval of agreements for peaceful nuclear cooperation with foreign countries, and for other purposesCost estimate for the bill as amended by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on April 14, 2011
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H2214.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 112-36 | TO AMEND THE ATOMIC ENERGY ACT OF 1954 TO REQUIRE CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL OF AGREEMENTS FOR PEACEFUL NUCLEAR COOPERATION WITH FOREIGN COUNTRIES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES; FURTHERING INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR SAFETY ACT OF 2011; ASSESSING PROGRESS IN HAITI ACT; AND BELARUS DEMOCRACY REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2011131 pages | Foreign Affairs Committee | Apr 14, 2011 |
CRS reports 2
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 2
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| RL34234 | Managing the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Policy Implications of Expanding Global Access to Nuclear Power Archived | Report | Oct 19, 2012 |
| R41169 | Securing Nuclear Materials: The 2012 Summit and Issues for Congress Archived | Report | Mar 7, 2012 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 109 | A bill to amend the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to require congressional approval of agreements for peaceful nuclear cooperation with foreign countries, and for other purposes. | Related bill | Feb 3, 2011 |
Titles 1
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to require congressional approval of agreements for peaceful nuclear cooperation with foreign countries, and for other purposes.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.
- Arms control and nonproliferation
- Chemical and biological weapons
- Civil actions and liability
- Congressional oversight
- Food assistance and relief
- Foreign aid and international relief
- International Affairs
- International law and treaties
- International organizations and cooperation
- Military assistance, sales, and agreements
- Nuclear power
- Nuclear weapons
- Sanctions
- Technology transfer and commercialization
- Terrorism
- Trade restrictions
- United Nations
Text 2
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Oct 1, 2012Reported in House
- Mar 31, 2011Introduced in House
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.