Bill Summary
The Preventing the Spread of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2019 requires that any civilian nuclear cooperation agreements with foreign countries must be approved by Congress under certain circumstances. This includes if there is evidence that the country intends to develop nuclear weapons, has violated international standards for weapons of mass destruction, or has not committed to not enrich uranium or reprocess plutonium. The Act also requires that the foreign country must have signed and ratified the Additional Protocol to its International Atomic Energy Agency Safeguards Agreement. There are exemptions for NATO member countries and Nuclear Weapon States. The purpose of this Act is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and promote nonproliferation efforts.
Possible Impacts
1. If the bill is passed, it could limit Turkey's ability to acquire nuclear weapons technology and materials, potentially preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and promoting global nonproliferation efforts. This could have a major impact on Turkey's military capabilities and international relations.
2. The bill could also affect the United States' relationship with other countries, particularly those in the Middle East. By requiring congressional approval for civilian nuclear cooperation agreements, the bill could potentially strain diplomatic relations and create tension between the US and other nations.
3. The bill could also have a significant impact on the global nuclear market and trade. By limiting the abilities of certain countries, such as Turkey, to acquire nuclear technology, it could potentially impact the supply and demand of nuclear materials and technology and affect the global market. This could also have economic implications for both the US and other countries involved in the nuclear industry.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5387 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5387
To require congressional approval for civilian nuclear cooperation
under certain circumstances, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 10, 2019
Mr. Sherman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require congressional approval for civilian nuclear cooperation
under certain circumstances, 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 ``Preventing the Spread of Nuclear
Weapons Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The statement by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of
Turkey on September 4, 2019, that he ``cannot accept'' a state
of affairs in which Turkey has no missiles armed with nuclear
warheads follows other concerning statements from senior
officials that the Government of Turkey may pursue a nuclear-
weapons capability, which runs counter to its obligations under
the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and the bipartisan United
States objective of negotiating a weapons of mass destruction-
free zone in the Middle East.
(2) A United States civilian nuclear cooperation agreement
with Turkey, signed in 2008 and up for automatic renewal in
2023, does not currently have to be submitted for congressional
review, denying Congress the opportunity to insist upon a
renewed agreement--a prohibition on Turkey's enrichment of
uranium or reprocessing of plutonium on its own territory in
keeping with the strongest possible nonproliferation ``gold
standard''.
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL REQUIRED FOR CIVILIAN NUCLEAR
COOPERATION AGREEMENTS UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.
(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other requirements under
section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2153), the
President, concurrent with submitting a proposed civilian nuclear
cooperation agreement with a foreign country in accordance with the
requirements of such section 123, and 60 days prior to the renewal of
any pre-existing civilian nuclear cooperation agreement, shall submit
to Congress a report--
(1) declaring any credible evidence that the foreign
country intends, conditionally or unconditionally, to pursue a
nuclear program that is not inherently peaceful, including
public statements to that effect by a senior leader of that
foreign country;
(2) citing any instance in which the foreign government has
violated the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Biological
Weapons Convention, or the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, or
otherwise violated international standards with respect to the
development, storage, deployment, or use of weapons of mass
destruction;
(3) stating whether or not the foreign government has
committed to not enrich uranium or reprocess plutonium on its
own territory concurrent to a submitted proposed civilian
nuclear cooperation agreement or a renewal of any pre-existing
civilian nuclear cooperation agreement; and
(4) stating whether or not the foreign government has
committed to sign and ratify the Additional Protocol to its
International Atomic Energy Agency Safeguards Agreement.
(b) Required Actions.--If a report submitted under subsection (a)
describes any known instance set forth under paragraphs (1) and (2) of
such subsection, then, notwithstanding any other requirements under
section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2153), the
civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with the foreign country in
question, or the renewal of any pre-existing agreement, may only enter
into effect on or after the date on which both of the following
conditions have been met:
(1) The President has submitted a proposed agreement with
the foreign country in accordance with the requirements of such
section 123.
(2) On or after the date of the submission of the proposed
agreement under paragraph (1), a joint resolution stating that
Congress approves such agreement has been enacted.
(c) Exemptions.--The requirements under subsection (b) do not apply
to any country that--
(1) is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization;
and
(2) is a Nuclear Weapon State as defined by the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Biological weapons convention.--The term ``Biological
Weapons Convention'' means the Convention on the Prohibition of
the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological
and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction, done at Washington,
London, and Moscow, April 10, 1972.
(2) Chemical weapons convention.--The term ``Chemical
Weapons Convention'' means the Convention on the Prohibition of
the Development, Production, Stockpiling and use of Chemical
Weapons and on their Destruction, done at Paris, January 13,
1993.
(3) Nuclear nonproliferation treaty.--The term ``Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty'' means the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, done at Washington, London,
and Moscow, July 1, 1968.
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