Gains in Global Nuclear Detection Architecture Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 690) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to enhance certain duties of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 690, the Gains in Global Nuclear Detection Architecture Act of 2016, sponsored by Representative Richmond. H.R. 690 directs the Department of Homeland Security's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to develop and maintain documentation that provides information on how the office's research investments align with gaps in the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture and the research challenges identified by the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office.

It further directs the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to document the rationale for selecting research topics and to develop a systematic approach for evaluating how the outcomes of the office's individual research projects collectively contribute to addressing the research challenges.

ISIS has declared its intention to develop weapons of mass destruction, which include nuclear devices, as well as radiological dispersal devices. The key to preventing this from happening is to make sure that nuclear material never falls into terrorist hands.

According to data compiled by the International Atomic Energy Agency, there were nearly 1,150 incidents involving theft, criminal possession, or loss of radiological material reported between 1993 and 2014. The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in California identified 325 instances alone between 2013 and 2014 in 38 different countries where nuclear or radioactive material was stolen, lost, or outside of regulatory control.

The amount of nuclear material in peaceful uses in the world has risen by 70 percent since 1999. It will continue to grow in the coming decades as global use of nuclear power increases.

Just last summer, six men were convicted in Tbilisi, Georgia, for trying to sell uranium-238; and in January of 2016, three members of a criminal group were detained for trying to sell caesium-137, which could be used to make a dirty bomb.

We must ensure that terrorists never get their hands on radioactive materials. This bill will enhance the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office's ability to provide radiation detection devices specifically aimed at preventing terrorists from being able to obtain enough radioactive material to construct a dirty bomb.

This bill will ensure that the research topics it chooses to invest in to enhance our ability to detect smuggled nuclear materials are aligned with the gaps that have been identified in the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture, a multiagency framework for detecting, analyzing, and reporting on nuclear and other radioactive materials that are out of regulatory control.

Requiring the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to document their rationale for choosing research topics will ensure that the most important gaps in the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture are addressed.

I would like to thank Mr. Richmond for the work that he and his staff have done on this legislation. I believe this will better enable this country to detect smuggling of nuclear materials and prevent ISIS and other terrorists from carrying out a nuclear or radiological attack on American soil.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space and

Technology,

Washington, DC, January 30, 2017.

Hon. Michael McCaul,

Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, House of

Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing concerning H.R. 690, the

``Gains in Global Nuclear Detection Architecture Act,'' which

was introduced on January 24, 2017.

H.R. 690 contains provisions within the Committee on

Science, Space, and Technology's Rule X jurisdiction. In

order to expedite this bill for floor consideration, the

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will forego

action on the bill. This is being done on the basis of our

mutual understanding that doing so will in no way diminish or

alter the jurisdiction of the Committee on Science, Space,

and Technology with respect to the appointment of conferees,

or to any future jurisdictional claim over the subject

matters contained in the bill or similar legislation.

I would appreciate your response to this letter confirming

this understanding, and would request that you include a copy

of this letter and your response in the Congressional Record

during the floor consideration of this bill. Thank you in

advance for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Lamar Smith,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I once again urge my colleagues to support H.R. 690.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 690. I would like to thank the gentleman from New York, Congressman Donovan, for his help and support and his bipartisanship.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 690 is based on a bipartisan bill I introduced last year, H.R. 5391, which passed the House in September.

For decades, security experts have warned of the danger that radioactive materials could be smuggled within and across our borders and used in an act of nuclear terrorism. The DHS Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, or DNDO, brings together expertise from across the Federal Government to detect and prevent the illicit transport, storage, and assembly of nuclear and radiological weapons. These interagency partners coordinate their efforts using a multilayered framework--the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture, or GNDA. GNDA describes Federal programs, guidelines, and detection technologies and identifies research challenges and security gaps.

In 2015, GAO looked at how DNDO manages its $350 million research and development program. The report found that DNDO needs to do a better job of documenting how it chooses which projects to fund and how these investments align with security gaps and research challenges-- especially for vulnerabilities identified in the GNDA.

H.R. 690 would resolve these issues by requiring DNDO to document the rationale it uses to prioritize research topics, explain how selected investments align with gaps and research challenges, and develop a systematic approach to evaluate the outcomes for individual projects. Such documentation is essential to ensure that DNDO is making the right research investments to keep the Nation secure.

Mr. Speaker, my bill, H.R. 690, would help DNDO use its limited resources toward projects that actually close the vulnerability gaps. Preventing and detecting nuclear smuggling is a complex endeavor. It requires seamless coordination between law enforcement and intelligence officials across the Federal Government.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 690, and I yield back the balance of my time.