H.R. 3198

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3198 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3198

To create intergovernmental coordination between State, local, Tribal, 
and territorial jurisdictions, and the Federal Government to combat 
United States reliance on the People's Republic of China and other 
covered countries for critical minerals and rare Earth metals, and for 
other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 5, 2025

Mr. Obernolte (for himself and Ms. Lee of Nevada) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To create intergovernmental coordination between State, local, Tribal, 
and territorial jurisdictions, and the Federal Government to combat 
United States reliance on the People's Republic of China and other 
covered countries for critical minerals and rare Earth metals, 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 ``Intergovernmental Critical Minerals 
Task Force Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds that--
(1) current supply chains of critical minerals pose a great 
risk to the national security of the United States;
(2) critical minerals are necessary for transportation, 
technology, renewable energy, military equipment and machinery, 
and other relevant sectors crucial for the homeland and 
national security of the United States;
(3) in 2022, the United States was 100 percent import 
reliant for 12 out of 50 critical minerals and more than 50 
percent import reliant for an additional 31 critical mineral 
commodities classified as ``critical'' by the United States 
Geological Survey, and the People's Republic of China was the 
top producing nation for 30 of those 50 critical minerals;
(4) as of July 2023, companies based in the People's 
Republic of China that extract critical minerals around the 
world have received hundreds of charges of human rights 
violations; and
(5) on August 29, 2014, the World Trade Organization 
Dispute Settlement Body adopted findings that the export 
restraints by the People's Republic of China on rare Earth 
metals, which harmed manufacturers and workers in the United 
States, violated obligations under the General Agreement on 
Tariffs and Trade 1994 and China's Protocol of Accession to the 
World Trade Organization.

SEC. 3. INTERGOVERNMENTAL CRITICAL MINERALS TASK FORCE.

(a) In General.--Section 5 of the National Materials and Minerals 
Policy, Research and Development Act of 1980 (30 U.S.C. 1604) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(g) Intergovernmental Critical Minerals Task Force.--
``(1) Purposes.--The purposes of the task force established 
under paragraph (3)(B) are--
``(A) to assess the reliance of the United States 
on the People's Republic of China, and other covered 
countries, for critical minerals, and the resulting 
national security risks associated with that reliance;
``(B) to make recommendations to the President for 
the implementation of this Act with regard to critical 
minerals, including--
``(i) the congressional declarations of 
policies in section 3; and
``(ii) revisions to the program plan of the 
President and the initiatives required under 
this section;
``(C) to make recommendations to secure United 
States supply chains for critical minerals;
``(D) to make recommendations to reduce the 
reliance of the United States, and partners and allies 
of the United States, on critical mineral supply chains 
involving covered countries; and
``(E) consistent with ongoing efforts of other 
Federal departments, agencies, and other entities, to 
facilitate cooperation, coordination, and mutual 
accountability among each level of the Federal 
Government, Indian Tribes, and State, local, and 
territorial governments, on a holistic response to the 
dependence on covered countries for critical minerals 
across the United States.
``(2) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
`appropriate committees of Congress' means--
``(i) the Committees on Homeland Security 
and Governmental Affairs, Energy and Natural 
Resources, Armed Services, Environment and 
Public Works, Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation, Finance, and Foreign Relations 
of the Senate; and
``(ii) the Committees on Oversight and 
Government Reform, Natural Resources, Armed 
Services, Ways and Means, Foreign Affairs, and 
Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives.
``(B) Chairperson; co-chairperson.--The terms 
`Chairperson' and `Co-Chairperson', respectively, mean 
the Chairperson or Co-Chairperson of the task force 
designated by the President pursuant to paragraph 
(3)(A).
``(C) Covered country.--The term `covered country' 
means--
``(i) a covered nation (as defined in 
section 4872(d) of title 10, United States 
Code); and
``(ii) any other country determined by the 
task force to be a geostrategic competitor or 
adversary of the United States with respect to 
critical minerals.
``(D) Critical mineral.--The term `critical 
mineral' has the meaning given the term `critical 
material' in section 7002(a) of the Energy Act of 2020 
(30 U.S.C. 1606(a)).
``(E) Indian tribe.--The term `Indian Tribe' has 
the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian 
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 
U.S.C. 5304).
``(F) Task force.--The term `task force' means the 
task force established under paragraph (3)(B).
``(3) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date 
of enactment of this subsection, the President shall--
``(A) designate a Chairperson, or 2 individuals as 
Co-Chairpersons, for the task force, who shall be--
``(i) the Assistant to the President for 
National Security Affairs;
``(ii) the Assistant to the President for 
Economic Policy; or
``(iii) another relevant member of the 
Executive Office of the President; and
``(B) acting through the Executive Office of the 
President, establish a task force.
``(4) Composition; meetings.--
``(A) Appointment.--The Chairperson or Co-
Chairpersons, in consultation with key 
intergovernmental, private, and public sector 
stakeholders, shall appoint to the task force 
representatives with expertise in critical mineral 
supply chains from Federal agencies, including not less 
than 1 representative from each of--
``(i) the Bureau of Indian Affairs;
``(ii) the Bureau of Land Management;
``(iii) the Critical Minerals Subcommittee 
of the National Science and Technology Council;
``(iv) the Department of Agriculture;
``(v) the Department of Commerce;
``(vi) the Department of Defense;
``(vii) the Department of Energy;
``(viii) the Department of Homeland 
Security;
``(ix) the Department of the Interior;
``(x) the Department of Labor;
``(xi) the Department of State;
``(xii) the Department of Transportation;
``(xiii) the Environmental Protection 
Agency;
``(xiv) the Export-Import Bank of the 
United States;
``(xv) the Forest Service;
``(xvi) the General Services 
Administration;
``(xvii) the National Economic Council;
``(xviii) the National Science Foundation;
``(xix) the National Security Council;
``(xx) the Office of Management and Budget;
``(xxi) the Office of the United States 
Trade Representative;
``(xxii) the United States International 
Development Finance Corporation;
``(xxiii) the United States Geological 
Survey; and
``(xxiv) any other relevant Federal entity, 
as determined by the Chairperson or Co-
Chairpersons.
``(B) Consultation.--The task force shall consult 
individuals with expertise in critical mineral supply 
chains, individuals from States whose communities, 
businesses, and industries are involved in aspects of 
critical mineral supply chains, including mining and 
processing operations, and individuals from a diverse 
and balanced cross-section of--
``(i) intergovernmental consultees, 
including--
``(I) State governments;
``(II) local governments;
``(III) territorial governments; 
and
``(IV) Indian Tribes; and
``(ii) other stakeholders, including--
``(I) academic research 
institutions;
``(II) corporations;
``(III) nonprofit organizations;
``(IV) private sector stakeholders;
``(V) trade associations;
``(VI) mining industry 
stakeholders; and
``(VII) labor representatives.
``(C) Meetings.--
``(i) Initial meeting.--Not later than 90 
days after the date on which all 
representatives of the task force have been 
appointed, the task force shall hold the first 
meeting of the task force.
``(ii) Frequency.--The task force shall 
meet not less than once every 90 days.
``(5) Duties.--
``(A) In general.--The duties of the task force 
shall include--
``(i) facilitating cooperation, 
coordination, and mutual accountability for the 
Federal Government, Indian Tribes, and State, 
local, and territorial governments to enhance 
data sharing and transparency to build more 
robust and secure domestic supply chains for 
critical minerals in support of the purposes 
described in paragraph (1);
``(ii) providing recommendations with 
respect to--
``(I) increasing capacities for 
mining, exploration, beneficiation, 
processing, refinement, reuse, and 
recycling of critical minerals in the 
United States to facilitate the 
environmentally responsible production 
of domestic resources to meet national 
critical mineral needs, in consultation 
with Tribal and local communities;
``(II) identifying how statutes, 
regulations, and policies related to 
the critical mineral supply chain, such 
as stockpiling and development finance, 
could be modified to accelerate 
environmentally responsible domestic 
and international production of 
critical minerals, in consultation with 
Indian Tribes and local communities;
``(III) strengthening the domestic 
workforce to support growing critical 
mineral supply chains with good-paying, 
safe jobs in the United States;
``(IV) identifying alternative 
domestic sources to critical minerals 
that the United States currently relies 
on the People's Republic of China or 
other covered countries for mining, 
processing, refining, and recycling, 
including the availability, capacity, 
cost, and quality of those domestic 
alternatives;
``(V) identifying critical minerals 
and critical mineral supply chains that 
the United States can onshore, in whole 
or in part, at a competitive value and 
quality, for those minerals and supply 
chains that the United States relies on 
the People's Republic of China or other 
covered countries to provide;
``(VI) opportunities for the 
Federal Government, Indian Tribes, and 
State, local, and territorial 
governments to mitigate risks to the 
national security of the United States 
with respect to supply chains for 
critical minerals that the United 
States currently relies on the People's 
Republic of China or other covered 
countries for mining, processing, 
refining, and recycling; and
``(VII) evaluating and integrating 
the recommendations of the Critical 
Minerals Subcommittee of the National 
Science and Technology Council into the 
recommendations of the task force;
``(iii) prioritizing the recommendations in 
clause (ii), taking into consideration economic 
costs and focusing on the critical mineral 
supply chains with vulnerabilities posing the 
most significant risks to the national security 
of the United States;
``(iv) recommending specific strategies, to 
be carried out in coordination with the 
Secretary of State and the Secretary of 
Commerce, to strengthen international 
partnerships in furtherance of critical 
minerals supply chain security with 
international allies and partners, including a 
strategy to collaborate with governments of the 
allies and partners described in subparagraph 
(B) to develop advanced mining, refining, 
separation and processing technologies; and
``(v) other duties, as determined by the 
Chairperson or Co-Chairpersons.
``(B) Allies and partners.--The allies and partners 
referred to in subparagraph (A) include--
``(i) countries participating in the 
Quadrilateral Security Dialogue;
``(ii) countries that are signatories to 
the Abraham Accords; and
``(iii) countries that are members of the 
North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
``(C) Report.--The Chairperson or Co-Chairpersons 
shall--
``(i) not later than 60 days after the date 
of enactment of this subsection, and every 60 
days thereafter until the requirements under 
subsection (a) are satisfied, brief the 
appropriate committees of Congress on the 
status of the compliance of the President with 
completing the requirements under that 
subsection;
``(ii) not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of this subsection, submit to 
the appropriate committees of Congress a 
report, which shall be submitted in 
unclassified form, but may include a classified 
annex, that describes any findings, guidelines, 
and recommendations created in performing the 
duties under subparagraph (A);
``(iii) not later than 120 days after the 
date on which the Chairperson or Co-
Chairpersons submits the report under clause 
(ii), publish that report in the Federal 
Register, except that the Chairperson or Co-
Chairpersons shall redact information from the 
report that the Chairperson or Co-Chairpersons 
determines could pose a risk to the national 
security of the United States by being publicly 
available; and
``(iv) brief the appropriate committees of 
Congress twice per year.
``(6) Duplication of effort.--The Chairperson or Co-
Chairpersons, to the maximum extent practicable, shall carry 
out the task force in a manner that does not duplicate the 
efforts of other Federal departments, agencies, or other 
entities.
``(7) Sunset.--The task force shall terminate on the date 
that is 90 days after the date on which the task force 
completes the requirements under paragraph (5)(C).
``(8) No additional funds.--No additional funds are 
authorized to be appropriated for the purpose of carrying out 
this subsection.''.
(b) GAO Study.--
(1) Study required.--The Comptroller General of the United 
States shall conduct a study examining the Federal and State 
regulatory landscape related to improving domestic supply 
chains for critical minerals in the United States.
(2) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 
States shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
report that describes the results of the study under paragraph 
(1).
(3) Definitions.--In this subsection:
(A) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(i) the Committees on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs, Energy and Natural 
Resources, Armed Services, Environment and 
Public Works, Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation, Finance, and Foreign Relations 
of the Senate; and
(ii) the Committees on Oversight and 
Government Reform, Natural Resources, Armed 
Services, Ways and Means, Foreign Affairs, and 
Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives.
(B) Critical mineral.--The term ``critical 
mineral'' has the meaning given the term ``critical 
material'' in section 7002(a) of the Energy Act of 2020 
(30 U.S.C. 1606(a)).
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