PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.
H.R.1280 / 112th Congress

To amend the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to require congressional approval of agreements for peaceful nuclear cooperation with foreign countries, and for other purposes.

Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 502.

Official summary

Version 18 · Reported to House amended, Part I · May 30, 2012

(Sec. 1) Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to include as requirements to be met by a cooperating party to an agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation (section 123 agreement) in order to secure congressional approval of the agreement: (1) a prohibition on using equipment, material, or by product material acquired from any source in or for development of a nuclear explosive device; (2) limited access to facilities, equipment, or materials by third country nationals; (3) a commitment to maintain or enact a legal regime protecting U.S. suppliers from civil liability in any effort by the country to develop civilian nuclear power; (4) a prohibition on enrichment or reprocessing activities or construction of facilities; (5) implementation of chemical and biological production and stockpiling conventions; (6) implementation of an export control system; and (7) cooperation with the United States in preventing state sponsors of terrorism from acquiring or developing chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons or destabilizing numbers and types of advanced conventional weapons.

Requires a joint congressional resolution of approval to a subsequent arrangement to a section 123 agreement. (Under current law such an agreement becomes effective unless Congress disapproves it within a specified time period.)

(Sec. 2) Prohibits assistance, other than humanitarian assistance, from being provided to a country that withdraws from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (Treaty). Directs the United States to seek the return of transferred material, equipment, or components or special fissionable material produced through the use of such material, equipment, or components from a country that withdraws from the Treaty.

Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.

Read full official summaryShow less

(Sec. 3) Directs the President to: (1) report to Congress on the extent to which each country that engages in civil nuclear exports requires nuclear nonproliferation requirements comparable to those under this Act, and (2) keep Congress informed of initiatives and negotiations relating to section 123 agreements prior to their announcement.

(Sec. 5) Terminates nuclear exports to a country determined to be a country of proliferation concern.

(Sec. 6) Requires a joint congressional resolution of approval to a section 123 agreement to include any other additional provisions to accompany the proposed agreement.

(Sec. 7) Prohibits the President from issuing a license for the export of nuclear material, facilities, components, services, or technology to a country that does not have liability protection for U.S. nuclear suppliers that is equivalent to the protection under the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage.

(Sec. 8) Prohibits U.S. assistance to a country that has repeatedly supported or engaged in acts of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) or related technologies or equipment. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition for national security or humanitarian reasons.

(Sec. 9) States that it is U.S. policy to ensure that each Treaty country should bring into force an Additional Protocol to its safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Requires the United States, when considering the provision of certain assistance to a Treaty country, to consider whether the proposed recipient has in force an Additional Protocol to its safeguards agreement with the IAEA.

(Sec. 10) Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should ensure that participation in U.S.-conducted international nuclear programs is limited to the greatest extent practicable to governmental and nongovernmental participants from countries that have adopted nonproliferation provisions in their nuclear cooperation and nuclear export control policies comparable to the policies specified in section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954.

Read the summary on Congress.gov
PlainBill analysis is coming later. This page presents official source data. We have not yet published a PlainBill explanation for this bill.

Who introduced it

Rep. Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [R-FL-18] · R–FL

Committees

  • Energy and Commerce Committee
  • Rules Committee
  • Foreign Affairs Committee
9 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.

  1. Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 502.

  2. Committee on Energy and Commerce discharged.

  3. Committee on Energy and Commerce discharged.

  4. Committee on Rules discharged.

  5. Committee on Rules discharged.

  6. Referred sequentially to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for a period ending not later than Oct. 1, 2012.

  7. House Committee on Rules Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Oct. 1, 2012.

  8. Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Foreign Affairs. H. Rept. 112-507, Part I.

  9. Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Foreign Affairs. H. Rept. 112-507, Part I.

  10. Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.

  11. Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, 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.

  12. Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, 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.

  13. Introduced in House

  14. Introduced in House

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

Source last updated: Apr 7, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

Explore the bill from different angles

Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.

Neutral evidence review

Objective

Analyze H.R.1280 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

View full prompt & sources
Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

Examine H.R.1280 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.

View full prompt & sources
Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

Examine H.R.1280 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.

View full prompt & sources
Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

Examine H.R.1280 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.

View full prompt & sources