H.R. 8648

[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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