[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 307 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 307

    Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the nuclear weapons 
                               stockpile.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 23, 1998

  Mr. Markey submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
             referred to the Committee on National Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
    Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the nuclear weapons 
                               stockpile.

Whereas it is in the best interests of the Nation and the world to ban nuclear 
        tests forever;
Whereas the nuclear weapons arsenal of the United States has been extensively 
        tested in the past, and the President again certified its safety and 
        reliability on February 11, 1998;
Whereas the nuclear weapons stockpile can be maintained without nuclear 
        explosive testing;
Whereas there exists an ongoing stockpile evaluation and maintenance program 
        that has ensured the safety and reliability of the arsenal for decades;
Whereas the priority of the stewardship program should be the safety of the 
        arsenal, and the United States should not design or develop nuclear 
        weapons with new military capabilities or modify the nuclear explosive 
        package in existing weapons;
Whereas the proposed stockpile stewardship program, funded at $4,500,000,000 
        annually over ten years, is not needed to maintain the arsenal and many 
        of its programs and facilities are unnecessary and hence a waste of 
        taxpayer dollars;
Whereas the proposed stockpile stewardship program is provocative to both 
        nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states, and it runs counter 
        to the obligations of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 
        Weapons to pursue negotiations in good faith on cessation of the nuclear 
        arms race and nuclear disarmament;
Whereas nuclear weapons laboratories intend to use the current stockpile 
        stewardship program to maintain and significantly enhance scientific and 
        technical capabilities for undertaking ``development of advanced new 
        types of nuclear weapons'' (as stated in the United States Department of 
        Energy Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan, 1996); and
Whereas a number of less costly and more appropriate alternatives exist that can 
        fulfill the stockpile maintenance requirements of the United States 
        while complying with the obligations of the Treaty on the Non-
        Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: Now, therefore be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) the nuclear weapons stockpile can be maintained with a 
        program that is far smaller, is less expensive, and does not 
        require facilities or experiments that are likely to be used 
        for warhead design or development; and
            (2) the Secretary of Energy should direct the Department of 
        Energy program for custodianship of the nuclear weapons arsenal 
        toward less costly, less provocative methods and cease the 
        current stockpile stewardship plans of the Department.
                                 <all>