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S. 1256: Department of Energy National Security Act of 2012

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S. 1256: Department of Energy National Security Act of 2012

112th Congress · introduced 2011-06-22 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 83.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2011-06-22 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Levin, Carl [D-MI] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 83. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Department of Energy National Security Act of 2012

Plain summary

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.) Department of Energy National Security Act of 2012 - Division C: Department of Energy National Security Authorizations and Other Authorizations - Title XXXI [ sic ]: Department of Energy National Security Programs - Subtitle A: National Security Programs Authorizations - (Sec. 3101) Authorizes appropriations for the Department of Energy (DOE) for FY2012 for: (1) activities of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) in carrying out programs necessary for national security, and (2) environmental restoration and waste management activities and plant projects in carrying out national security programs, with specified allocations for defense environmental cleanup and other defense activities. Subtitle B: Program Authorizations, Restrictions, and Limitations - (Sec. 3111) Amends the Atomic Energy Defense Act to terminate the requirement of an annual independent "red team" review of the security and vulnerabilities of computers at DOE national laboratories, as well as a National Counterintelligence Policy Board annual report on review results. Requires instead the Secretary of Energy to conduct such annual review and report review results to the congressional defense and appropriations committees only when a significant vulnerability is discovered. (Sec. 3112) Amends the National Nuclear Security Administration Act to direct the Secretary to: (1) review an assessment by the Comptroller General ( CG) of budget requests with respect to the modernization and refurbishment of the DOE nuclear security complex, and (2) report review results to the defense and appropriations committees. (Sec. 3113) Allows the Secretary to procure no more than one aircraft using DOE weapons activities funds for any fiscal year before FY2013. (Sec. 3114) Limits to $500,000 the amount of DOE nuclear nonproliferation funds that may be used to establish a center of excellence in a country not a state of the former Soviet Union until 15 days after the NNSA Administrator identifies the country involved and describes the center's purpose. (Sec. 3115) Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993 to recognize the museum operated by the Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the official atomic testing museum of the United States. Subtitle C: Reports - (Sec. 3121) Directs the Secretary and the NNSA Administrator to jointly submit to the defense and appropriations committees: (1) a report on the feasibility of federalizing some or all of the security protective forces contract guard workforce at specified DOE national laboratories and facilities, and (2) the CG's comments on such report. (Sec. 3122) Requires the CG to: (1) study the value of and need for external regulation or oversight of the safety of nuclear operations and the design and construction of DOE nuclear facilities to protect the public health and safety, and (2) submit to the defense and appropriations committees an interim and final report on study results. Requires comments on such reports by the Secretary, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). (Sec. 3123) Directs the NNSA Administrator to submit to Congress a plan to complete the Global Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention program in the Russian Federation by the end of 2013. Title XXXII: Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board - (Sec. 3201) Authorizes appropriations for FY2012 for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board). (Sec. 3202) Directs the Board to exercise its authority to review the design of, and review and monitor construction with respect to, NNSA Project 10-D-904. Title XXXIII: Maritime Administration - (Sec. 3301) Revises generally provisions concerning the establishment and authorization of appropriations for the Maritime Administration.

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate without amendment), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

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PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Department of Energy National Security Act of 2012

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate without amendment)

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Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Levin, Carl [D-MI] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Agencies named in this bill

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No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (6)
Appropriation
Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization
A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Ballot initiative
A proposed law or constitutional amendment that citizens place on the ballot by gathering enough voter signatures, so voters decide it directly. About half the states allow some form of it.
Fiscal year
The 12-month period a government uses for its budget. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 and is named for the calendar year in which it ends. Most states use July 1 to June 30.
Rulemaking
The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.
Securities
Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong112-s1256 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112