Gains in Global Nuclear Detection Architecture Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be considering H.R. 5391, the Gains in Global Nuclear Detection Architecture Act of 2016.

H.R. 5391 directs the Department of Homeland Security's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, or DNDO, to develop and maintain documentation that provides information on how the Office's research investments align with gaps in the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture as well as the research challenges identified by the DNDO Director.

This bill further directs DNDO to document the rationale for selecting research topics and to develop a systematic approach for evaluating how the outcomes of the Office's individual research projects collectively contribute to addressing these research challenges.

Mr. Speaker, as the attacks in Paris, Brussels, and Turkey have shown, ISIS is accelerating its attacks on innocent people throughout the world. Individuals in this country have been inspired by ISIS to commit heinous acts and crimes on our soil, murdering 49 innocent souls in Orlando, Florida, and 14 more in San Bernardino, California.

Just this summer, 6 men were convicted in Tbilisi, Georgia, of trying to sell uranium-238; and in January, three members of a criminal group were detained for trying to sell cesium-137--both of which could be used to make a dirty bomb.

Mr. Speaker, we must absolutely ensure that terrorists never get their hands on radioactive materials, and this bill will enhance DNDO's ability to provide radiation detection devices specifically aimed at preventing terrorists from being able to obtain enough radioactive material to construct a dirty bomb.

This bill will ensure that the research topics DNDO chooses to invest in to enhance our ability to detect smuggled nuclear materials are aligned with the gaps that have been identified in the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture, a multi-agency framework for detecting, analyzing, and reporting on nuclear and other radioactive materials that are out of regulatory control. Requiring DNDO to document the rationale for choosing research topics will ensure that the most important gaps in the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture are addressed.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to support this measure today. I would like to thank my colleague, Mr. Richmond, and his team for the terrific work they have done to bring this legislation to the floor today. I believe that this bill will better enable this country to detect the smuggling of nuclear materials and will support the very critical mission of preventing ISIS and other terrorists from carrying out a nuclear or radiological attack on American soil. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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