U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta introduces nuclear security legislation

U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta introduced legislation Tuesday to improve U.S. nuclear security.

Panetta (D-California) said the Nuclear Security and Nonproliferation Accounting Act is bipartisan legislation that would require the Government Accountability Office to give annual reports to Congress on budgets for international and domestic nuclear security programs.

The bill was co-sponsored by Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tennessee), and both he and Panetta are members of the Congressional Nuclear Security Working Group.

“Preventing nuclear and radiological threats form nation states and terrorist organizations must remain a priority for the United States. By increasing the transparency of our nuclear security and nuclear nonproliferation programs, this bipartisan legislation allows our government to be more focused, agile and creative in confronting emerging nuclear security challenges,” Panetta said.

The Arms Control Association’s Director for Disarmament and Threat Reduction Policy, Kingston Reif, said nuclear security challenges are growing more complex, so Congress needs to play a more active role.

Panetta’s office said the bill would give more clarity on the government’s nuclear threat reduction activities, which would allow for better alignment of program goals and budget estimates. The annual reports given to Congress would identify redundancies, provide recommendations for metrics and summarize efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism, implement arms control agreements and stop illicit transfers of nuclear and radiological technologies.