I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9215 
To establish an Office of Public Engagement and Participation within the 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 21, 2022 
Mr. LEVIN of California introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To establish an Office of Public Engagement and Participa-
tion within the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘NRC Office of Public 
Engagement and Participation Act of 2022’’. 
SEC. 2. OFFICE OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND PARTICIPA-
TION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
Commission an office to be known as the Office of Public 
Engagement and Participation. 
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(b) DIRECTOR.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Office shall be adminis-
tered by a Director. 
(2) APPOINTMENT.—Subject to the approval of 
the Commission, the Chairman shall appoint the Di-
rector. 
(3) TERM.—Subject to paragraph (7), the Di-
rector shall serve for— 
(A) a term of five years; and 
(B) no more than two terms. 
(4) DUTIES.—The Director— 
(A) shall be responsible for the discharge 
of the functions of the Office; and 
(B) may appoint, and assign the duties of, 
staff of the Office as necessary to carry out the 
functions of the Office. 
(5) COMPENSATION.—The Director shall be 
compensated at a rate of pay not greater than the 
maximum rate of pay prescribed for a senior execu-
tive in the Senior Executive Service under section 
5382 of title 5, United States Code. 
(6) REMOVAL.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the approval 
of the Commission to initiate an action, the 
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Chairman or a member of the Commission may 
initiate an action for removal of the Director. 
(B) REMOVAL
LIMITATIONS.—The Com-
mission may remove the Director for ineffi-
ciency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office 
but for no other cause. 
(7) EXPIRATION
OF
TERM.—A Director may 
continue to serve after the expiration of the term of 
such Director until a successor is appointed. 
(c) FUNCTIONS OF THE OFFICE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The functions of the Office 
shall be to— 
(A) support public participation in pro-
ceedings before the Commission; 
(B) advocate for the public interest within 
the jurisdiction of the Commission; 
(C) provide educational, legal, and tech-
nical guidance and assistance to members of 
the public with respect to participating in pro-
ceedings before the Commission, including guid-
ance on submitting comments, contentions, and 
hearing requests; 
(D) coordinate assistance available to per-
sons participating or proposing to participate in 
proceedings before the Commission; and 
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(E) coordinate assistance to the public 
with respect to authorities exercised by the 
Commission. 
(2) 
COMPENSATION
OF
FEES.—Notwith-
standing section 502 of the Energy and Water De-
velopment Appropriations Act, 1993 (5 U.S.C. 504 
note; Public Law 102–377), the Commission may, 
under rules promulgated by the Commission, provide 
compensation for reasonable attorney’s fees, expert 
witness fees, and other costs of participating in any 
proceeding before the Commission to any person 
whose participation substantially contributed to the 
approval, in whole or in part, of a position advocated 
by such person, if the Commission determines 
that— 
(A) the proceeding is significant; and 
(B) the participation of such person in 
such proceeding without receipt of compensa-
tion constitutes a significant financial hardship 
to such person. 
(d) INDEPENDENT OFFICE.—The Chairman shall 
take appropriate actions to ensure the independence of the 
Office within the Commission, including independence 
from other officers and employees of the Commission. 
(e) ANNUAL REPORT.— 
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(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than one year 
after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 
thereafter, the Director shall submit to Congress a 
report on the activities of the Office. 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—Each report under para-
graph (1) shall include— 
(A) the number and types of requests for 
assistance received by the Office during the pre-
ceding year; and 
(B) an assessment of the most common 
difficulties encountered by members of the pub-
lic with participating or proposing to participate 
in proceedings before the Commission in the 
preceding year. 
(f) NO EFFECT ON EXISTING PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT 
STANDARDS.—Nothing in this Act shall be interpreted as 
reducing the standards for the Commission to engage the 
public in any proceedings or decisions. 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) CHAIRMAN.—The term ‘‘Chairman’’ means 
the Chairman of the Commission. 
(2) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 
means the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 
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(3) OFFICE.—The term ‘‘Office’’ means the Of-
fice of Public Engagement and Participation estab-
lished under subsection (a). 
Æ 
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