PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.
H.R.1961 / 108th Congress

To provide for the external regulation of nuclear safety and occupational safety and health at the Department of Energy.

Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in House · May 6, 2003

Eliminates Department of Energy (DOE) regulatory or enforcement authority at any nonmilitary DOE energy laboratory in connection with responsibilities for nuclear safety and for occupational safety and health.

Grants the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) nuclear safety regulatory and enforcement responsbilities, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) occupational safety and health regulatory and enforcement responsibilities with regard to such facilities.

Authorizes the NRC to regulate both the DOE and DOE contractors through licensing and certification. Holds a contractor operating a DOE nonmilitary energy laboratory harmless from facility decommissioning costs or from any violation of NRC decommissioning requirements if such violation results from DOE failure to authorize or fund decommissioning activities.States OSHA and the NRC both share regulatory and enforcement responsibilities regarding a hazard at a nonmilitary DOE energy laboratory that presents a risk of occupational exposure and contains both a radiological and non-radiological component.

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. Costello, Jerry F. [D-IL-12] · D–IL

Committees

  • Education and Workforce Committee
  • Energy and Commerce Committee
  • Science, Space, and Technology Committee
6 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. Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.

  2. Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality.

  3. Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy.

  4. Referred to the Committee on Science, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Education and the Workforce, 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.

  5. Referred to the Committee on Science, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Education and the Workforce, 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.

  6. Referred to the Committee on Science, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Education and the Workforce, 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.

  7. Referred to the Committee on Science, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Education and the Workforce, 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.

  8. Introduced in House

  9. 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

No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.

Source last updated: Mar 23, 2026. 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.1961 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.1961 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.1961 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.1961 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