I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8313 

To prioritize Federal permitting for certain national defense activities related 

to the authorities under the Defense Production Act of 1950 and projects 

related to such activities, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 8, 2024 

Mr. LUETKEMEYER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on 

Financial Services, 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 

A BILL 

To prioritize Federal permitting for certain national defense 

activities related to the authorities under the Defense 

Production Act of 1950 and projects related to such 

activities, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Help Expedite Lagging 

5 Permitting for Defense Production Act’’ or the ‘‘Help 

6 DPA Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that— 

3 (1) title III of the Defense Production Act of 

4 1950 is used to ensure that our nation has sufficient 

5 industrial resources to meet our national security 

6 needs; and 

7 (2) projects funded under such title are of crit8 ical importance to the national security are almost 

9 always time sensitive. 

10 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con11 gress that— 

12 (1) the Federal permitting process should not 

13 delay crucial national defense projects any longer 

14 than necessary; and 

15 (2) projects funded under title III of the De16 fense Production Act of 1950 and projects given the 

17 highest priority under title I of the Defense Produc18 tion Act of 1950 deserve an expedited Federal per19 mitting process. 

20 SEC. 3. IMPROVING PERMITTING FOR CERTAIN NATIONAL 

21 DEFENSE SECTORS EXPERIENCING AN IN22 DUSTRIAL BASE SHORTFALL. 

23 (a) FASTER PERMITTING.—Section 41001(6)(A) of 

24 the FAST Act (42 U.S.C. 4370m(6)(A)) is amended by 

25 inserting ‘‘a covered national defense activity (as defined 


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•HR 8313 IH

1 in section 712(b) of the Defense Production Act of 

2 1950),’’ after ‘‘energy storage,’’. 

3 (b) PRIORITIZED PERMITTING.—The Defense Pro4 duction Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4501) is amended by in5 serting after section 711 the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 712. PRIORITIZED PERMITTING. 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—With respect to a project that 

8 is a covered national defense activity, if such project re9 quires a permit from a Federal agency, the Federal agency 

10 shall prioritize the consideration of such permit over all 

11 over projects requiring a permit from the agency. 

12 ‘‘(b) COVERED NATIONAL DEFENSE ACTIVITY DE13 FINED.—The term ‘covered national defense activity’ 

14 means a project— 

15 ‘‘(1) funded in whole or in part with loans made 

16 or guaranteed, or grants made, under title III; 

17 ‘‘(2) in a sector essential for the national de18 fense with respect to which the President makes a 

19 determination under this Act that the sector is expe20 riencing an industrial base shortfall; or 

21 ‘‘(3) for the production of goods or services, the 

22 contracts or orders for which the President has 

23 deemed necessary or appropriate to promote the na24 tional defense and has prioritized under title I.’’. 

Æ 


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