[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8648 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8648
To establish in the Department of State a Foundational Infrastructure
for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology program, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 4, 2026
Mr. Baird (for himself and Mr. Keating) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish in the Department of State a Foundational Infrastructure
for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology program, and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Framework for Oversight of
Responsible Global Energy Act'' or the ``FORGE Act''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF FOUNDATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR RESPONSIBLE
USE OF SMALL MODULAR REACTOR TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--There is established within the Department of
State a Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small
Modular Reactor Technology program (hereafter in this section referred
to as the ``FIRST program'').
(b) Program Functions.--The Under Secretary for Arms Control and
International Security, or the designee of the Under Secretary, shall
manage the FIRST program, which shall--
(1) promote responsible deployment of civil nuclear energy
internationally that benefits United States economic and
national security interests;
(2) advocate, through relevant bilateral and multilateral
diplomatic engagements and forums, for civil nuclear energy
projects, technology, and products sourced or exported from
United States businesses;
(3) engage in diplomacy with partner governments on
prioritizing the highest safety, security, and nonproliferation
standards as requirements for civil nuclear reactor deployment
decisions, including with regard to small modular reactor
infrastructure, technology, and products;
(4) provide consultation to partner countries regarding
best practices in the field of licensing, legal, and regulatory
frameworks for the importation or adoption of United States
nuclear reactor infrastructure, technology, or products;
(5) provide early-stage commercial project development
support, including feasibility and engineering studies, that
are critical to launching United States commercial civil
nuclear projects abroad and ensure fair market access for
United States businesses relative to state-backed competitors;
and
(6) cooperate with partner countries in the areas of
training programs, technical resource sharing, and potential
coordination of codes and standards to support the facilitation
of small modular reactor fleet deployment.
(c) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary for Arms Control
and International Security, or the designee of such Under
Secretary, shall provide to the appropriate congressional
committees a report that includes--
(A) details on the implementation of the FIRST
program;
(B) a description of FIRST program diplomatic
outreach and activities, including bilateral and
multilateral engagements that promote activities
described in subsection (b);
(C) the list of current contributing partners of
the FIRST program;
(D) details relating to potential or ongoing
cooperation with contributing partners of the FIRST
program related to program activities described in
subsection (b);
(E) a description of engagements and activities
conducted by the Department of State to promote and
expand the FIRST program to additional potential
contributing partners;
(F) a description of FIRST program-related
engagements with United States businesses in the civil
nuclear sector; and
(G) a description of funds expended on FIRST
program-related activities, including programming that
uses funds from Nonproliferation, Anti-Terrorism,
Demining, and Related Programs and related funding
sources within the Department.
(2) Form.--The report required by this subsection shall be
submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified
annex submitted separately from the unclassified portion.
(d) Briefing.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and on a triannual basis thereafter, the Under
Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, or the designee
of the Under Secretary, shall provide to the appropriate congressional
committees a briefing that includes the information required in
subsection (c).
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House
of the Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate.
(2) United states business.--The term ``United States
business'' has the meaning given such term in section 2304 of
the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 4724).
(f) Sunset.--This section shall terminate on June 8, 2034.
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