Congress·In Committee·H.R. 8969

Nuclear Forensics Authority Realignment Act

Nuclear Forensics: Moving Oversight to the Energy Department

May 21·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

Next up: A house committee

This bill was recently introduced in the House and is currently being reviewed by several committees. It is in the early stages of the legislative process and is actively moving forward. There are no upcoming votes scheduled at this time.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Could go either way

This bill has support from both parties, which helps its chances. However, it has been sent to four different committees, which can make the process much slower and more difficult.

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 5438 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 5438 (118th) →

Key Points

This bill moves the responsibility for nuclear forensics from the Department of Homeland Security to the National Nuclear Security Administration. Nuclear forensics is the science of tracing nuclear materials back to their source after a threat or an explosion.
A new National Nuclear Forensics Center would be created to lead federal efforts. This center will handle planning, testing, and research to make sure the U.S. can quickly identify who is behind a nuclear attack or attempted terrorism.
The plan includes a focus on education by training more experts in this field. The government would work with universities to help students and scientists learn the specific skills needed for nuclear defense and national security.
By moving these tasks, the bill aims to put nuclear experts in charge of nuclear data. Supporters believe the National Nuclear Security Administration is better equipped than Homeland Security to handle the complex science involved in tracking radioactive materials.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

3 milestones3 actions

May 22, 2026House

Referred to the Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

May 21, 2026House

Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Homeland Security, Armed Services, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

May 21, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Nuclear Forensics Authority Realignment Act

Bill NumberHR 8969

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(2)

D: 1R: 1

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.