[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 98 (Wednesday, June 12, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S3446]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 387. Mr. MANCHIN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 1790, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2020 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the appropriate place, insert the following:
SEC. __. CONGRESSIONAL COMMISSION ON PREVENTING, COUNTERING,
AND RESPONDING TO NUCLEAR AND RADIOLOGICAL
TERRORISM.
(a) Establishment.--There is hereby established a
commission, to be known as the ``Congressional Commission on
Preventing, Countering, and Responding to Nuclear and
Radiological Terrorism'' (referred to in this Act as the
``Commission''), which shall develop a comprehensive strategy
to prevent, counter, and respond to nuclear and radiological
terrorism.
(b) Composition.--
(1) Membership.--The Commission shall be composed of 16
members, of whom--
(A) 2 shall be appointed by the chairman of the Committee
on Armed Services of the Senate;
(B) 2 shall be appointed by the ranking minority member of
the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
(C) 2 shall be appointed by the chairman of the Committee
on Armed Services of the House of Representatives;
(D) 2 shall be appointed by the ranking minority member of
the Committee on Armed Services of the House of
Representatives;
(E) 2 shall be appointed by the chairman of the Committee
on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate;
(F) 2 shall be appointed by the ranking minority member of
the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
of the Senate;
(G) 2 shall be appointed by the chairman of the Committee
on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives; and
(H) 2 shall be appointed by the ranking minority member of
the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Chairman; vice chairman.--
(A) Chairman.--The chair of the Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the chair
of the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of
Representatives shall jointly designate 1 member of the
Commission to serve as Chair of the Commission.
(B) Vice chairman.--The ranking member of the Committee on
Armed Services of the Senate and the ranking member of the
Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives
shall jointly designate 1 member of the Commission to serve
as Vice Chair of the Commission.
(3) Period of appointment; vacancies.--Members shall be
appointed for the life of the Commission. Any vacancy in the
Commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original
appointment.
(c) Duties.--
(1) Review.--After conducting a review of the United
States' current strategy, outlined in the National Strategy
for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism, to
prevent, counter, and respond to nuclear and radiological
terrorism, the Commission shall develop a comprehensive
strategy that--
(A) identifies national and international nuclear and
radiological terrorism risks and critical emerging threats;
(B) prevents state and nonstate actors from acquiring the
technologies, materials, and critical expertise needed to
mount nuclear or radiological attacks;
(C) counters efforts by state and nonstate actors to mount
such attacks;
(D) responds to nuclear and radiological terrorism
incidents to attribute their origin and help manage their
consequences;
(E) provides the projected resources to implement and
sustain the strategy;
(F) delineates indicators for assessing progress toward
implementing the strategy;
(G) identifies potential commercial interim storage and
disposal facilities to safely dispose or store sensitive
nuclear and radiological materials;
(H) makes recommendations for improvements to the National
Strategy for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction
Terrorism;
(I) determines whether a Nuclear Nonproliferation Council
is needed to oversee and coordinate nuclear nonproliferation,
nuclear counterproliferation, nuclear security, and nuclear
arms control activities and programs of the United States
Government; and
(J) if the Commission determines that such council is
needed, provides recommendations regarding--
(i) appropriate council membership;
(ii) frequency of meetings;
(iii) responsibilities of the council;
(iv) coordination within the United States Government; and
(v) congressional reporting requirements.
(2) Assessment and recommendations.--
(A) Assessment.--The Commission shall assess the benefits
and risks associated with the current United States strategy
in relation to nuclear terrorism.
(B) Recommendations.--The Commission shall develop
recommendations regarding the most effective nuclear
terrorism strategy.
(d) Cooperation From Government.--
(1) Cooperation.--In carrying out its duties, the
Commission shall receive the full and timely cooperation of
the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Energy, the
Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of State, the
Director of National Intelligence, the National Security
Council, and any other United States Government official in
providing the Commission with analyses, briefings, and other
information necessary for the fulfillment of its
responsibilities.
(2) Liaison.--The Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of
Energy, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of
State, and the Director of National Intelligence shall each
designate at least 1 officer or employee of the Department of
Defense, the Department of Energy, the Department of State,
the National Security Council, and the intelligence
community, respectively, to serve as a liaison officer with
the Commission.
(e) Strategic Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than December 1, 2020, the
Commission shall submit a strategic report containing the
Commission's findings, conclusions, and recommendations to--
(A) the President;
(B) the Secretary of Defense;
(C) the Secretary of Energy;
(D) the Secretary of State;
(E) the Secretary of Homeland Security;
(F) the Director of National Intelligence;
(G) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate; and
(H) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Contents.--The report required under paragraph (1)
shall outline how the Federal Government will--
(A) encourage and incentivize other countries and relevant
international organizations, such as the International Atomic
Energy Agency and INTERPOL, to make nuclear and radiological
security a priority;
(B) improve cooperation, with a focus on developing and
deploying technologies to detect and prevent illicit
transfers of weapons of mass destruction-related materials,
equipment, and technology, and appropriate integration among
Federal entities and Federal, State, and tribal governments;
and
(C) improve cooperation, with a focus on developing and
deploying technologies to detect and prevent illicit
transfers of weapons of mass destruction-related materials,
equipment, and technology, between the United States and
other countries and international organizations, while
focusing on cooperation with China, India, Pakistan, and
Russia.
(f) Termination.--The Commission shall terminate on the
date on which the report is submitted under subsection
(e)(1).
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