SEC. 4. RESPONSIBILITIES OF DOMESTIC NUCLEAR DETEC-
TION OFFICE. 
(a) ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES.—Section 1902 
of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (as redesignated 
by Public Law 110–53; 6 U.S.C. 592) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (9), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon; 
(B) by redesignating paragraph (10) as 
paragraph (14); and 
(C) by inserting after paragraph (9) the 
following: 
‘‘(10) develop and implement, with the approval 
of the Secretary and in coordination with the heads 
of appropriate departments and agencies, methods 
and capabilities to support the attribution of nuclear 
or radiological material to its source when such ma-
terial is intercepted by the United States, foreign 
governments, or international bodies or is dispersed 
in the course of a terrorist attack or other nuclear 
or radiological explosion; 
‘‘(11) establish, within the Domestic Nuclear 
Detection Office, the National Technical Nuclear 
Forensics Center to provide centralized stewardship, 
planning, assessment, gap analysis, exercises, im-
provement, and integration for all Federal nuclear 
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forensics activities to ensure an enduring national 
technical nuclear forensics capability to strengthen 
the collective response of the United States to nu-
clear terrorism or other nuclear attacks; 
‘‘(12) establish a National Nuclear Forensics 
Expertise Development Program which— 
‘‘(A) is devoted to developing and main-
taining a vibrant and enduring academic path-
way
from
undergraduate
to
post-doctorate 
study in nuclear and geochemical science spe-
cialties directly relevant to technical nuclear 
forensics,
including
radiochemistry,
geo-
chemistry, nuclear physics, nuclear engineering, 
materials science, and analytical chemistry; and 
‘‘(B) shall— 
‘‘(i) make available for undergraduate 
study student scholarships, with a duration 
of up to four years per student, which shall 
include, whenever possible, at least one 
summer internship at a national laboratory 
or appropriate Federal agency in the field 
of technical nuclear forensics during the 
course of the student’s undergraduate ca-
reer; 
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‘‘(ii)
make
available
for
graduate 
study student fellowships, with a duration 
of up to five years per student, which— 
‘‘(I) shall include, whenever pos-
sible, at least two summer internships 
at a national laboratory or appro-
priate Federal agency in the field of 
technical nuclear forensics during the 
course of the student’s graduate ca-
reer; and 
‘‘(II) shall require each recipient 
to commit to serve for two years in a 
post-doctoral position in a technical 
nuclear forensics-related specialty at a 
national
laboratory
or
appropriate 
Federal agency after graduation; 
‘‘(iii)
make
available
to
faculty 
awards, with a duration of three to five 
years each, to ensure faculty and their 
graduate
students
a
sustained
funding 
stream; and 
‘‘(iv) place a particular emphasis on 
reinvigorating technical nuclear forensics 
programs, while encouraging the participa-
tion of undergraduate students, graduate 
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students, and university faculty from his-
torically Black colleges and universities, 
Hispanic-serving institutions, and Tribal 
Colleges and Universities; 
‘‘(13) provide an annual report to Congress on 
the activities carried out under paragraphs (10), 
(11), and (12); and’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE OR UNI-
VERSITY.—The term ‘historically Black college or 
university’ has the meaning given the term ‘part B 
institution’ in section 322(2) of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)). 
‘‘(2)
HISPANIC-SERVING
INSTITUTION.—The 
term ‘Hispanic-serving institution’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 502 of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a). 
‘‘(3) TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.—The 
term ‘Tribal College or University’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 316(b) of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)).’’. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated the sum of $30,000,000 for 
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each of the fiscal years 2009, 2010, and 2011 to carry 
out paragraphs (10) through (13) of section 1902(a) of 
the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as added by sub-
section (a) of this section. 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The threat of a nuclear terrorist attack on 
American interests, both domestic and abroad, is one 
of the most serious threats to the national security of 
the United States. In the wake of an attack, attribu-
tion of responsibility would be of utmost importance. 
Because of the destructive power of the weapon, there 
could be little forensic evidence except the radioactive 
material in the bomb itself. 
(2) Through advanced nuclear forensics, using 
both existing techniques and those under development, 
it may be possible to identify the source and pathway 
of a weapon or material after it is interdicted or deto-
nated. Though identifying intercepted smuggled mate-
rial is now possible in some cases, pre-detonation 
forensics is a relatively undeveloped field. The post- 
detonation nuclear forensics field is also immature, 
and the challenges are compounded by the pressures 
and time constraints of performing forensics after a 
nuclear or radiological attack. 
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