I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3828 
To authorize funding for University Nuclear Science, Engineering, and Health 
Physics Programs at the Department of Energy for fiscal years 2005 
through 2008. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 25, 2004 
Mrs. BIGGERT introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Science 
A BILL 
To authorize funding for University Nuclear Science, Engi-
neering, and Health Physics Programs at the Depart-
ment of Energy for fiscal years 2005 through 2008. 
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 ‘‘Department of Energy 
University Nuclear Science, Engineering, and Health 
Physics Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following:
(1) United States university nuclear science, en-
gineering, and health programs are in a state of se-
rious decline. The supply of bachelor degree nuclear 
science, engineering, and health physics personnel in 
the United States is lower than the number of jobs 
available, resulting in a shortage of these critical 
professionals. The number of 4-year degree nuclear 
engineering programs has declined 50 percent to ap-
proximately 25 programs nationwide. Over 2⁄3 of the 
faculty in these programs are 45 years or older and 
there are few tenure track junior faculty positions 
available. 
(2) Universities are finding it increasingly dif-
ficult to fund the operational costs of their research 
and training reactors. Since 1980, the number of 
small training reactors in the United States has de-
clined by over 50 percent to 27 reactors. Most of 
these reactors were built in the late 1950’s and 
1960’s with 30- to 40-year operating licenses, and 
will require relicensing in the next several years. 
(3) The neglect in human investment and train-
ing infrastructure is affecting 50 years of national 
research and development investment. The decline in 
a competent nuclear workforce, and the lack of ade-
quately trained nuclear scientists, engineers, and
health physicists, will affect the ability of the United 
States to solve future waste storage issues, operate 
existing and design future fission reactors in the 
United States, respond to future nuclear events 
worldwide, help stem the proliferation of nuclear 
weapons, and design and operate naval nuclear reac-
tors. 
(4) Future neglect in the Nation’s investment 
in human resources for the nuclear sciences will lead 
to a downward spiral. As the number of nuclear 
science departments shrinks, faculties age, and 
training reactors close, the appeal of nuclear science 
will be lost to future generations of students. 
(5) Current projections are that 50 percent of 
industry’s nuclear workforce can retire in 10 to 15 
years, and 76 percent of the nuclear workforce at 
our national labs can retire in the next 5 years. A 
new supply of trained scientists and engineers to re-
place this retiring workforce is urgently needed. 
(6) The Department of Energy’s Office of Nu-
clear Energy, Science, and Technology is well suited 
to help maintain tomorrow’s human resource and 
training investment in the nuclear sciences. Through 
its support of research and development pursuant to 
the Department’s statutory authorities, the Office of
Nuclear Energy, Science, and Technology is the 
principal Federal agent for civilian research in the 
nuclear sciences for the United States. The Office 
maintains the Nuclear Engineering and Education 
Research Program which funds basic nuclear science 
and engineering. The Office funds the Nuclear En-
ergy and Research Initiative which funds applied 
collaborative research among universities, industry, 
and national laboratories in the areas of prolifera-
tion-resistant fuel cycles and future fission power 
systems. The Office funds universities to refuel 
training reactors from highly enriched to low-en-
riched proliferation-tolerant fuels, performs instru-
mentation upgrades, and maintains a program of 
student fellowships for nuclear science, engineering, 
and health physics. 
SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Energy, 
through the Office of Nuclear Energy, Science, and Tech-
nology, shall support a program to invest in human re-
sources and infrastructure in the nuclear sciences, engi-
neering, and health physics fields, consistent with the De-
partment’s statutory authorities related to civilian nuclear 
research and development.
(2) providing technical assistance, in collabora-
tion with the United States nuclear industry, in reli-
censing and upgrading training reactors as part of 
a student training program; and 
(3) providing funding, through the Innovations 
in Nuclear Infrastructure and Education Program, 
for reactor improvements as part of a focused effort 
that emphasizes research, training, and education. 
(d) 
UNIVERSITY-DOE 
LABORATORY
INTER-
ACTIONS.—The Secretary of Energy, through the Office 
of Nuclear Energy, Science, and Technology, shall de-
velop— 
(1) a sabbatical fellowship program for profes-
sors at institutions of higher education to spend ex-
tended periods of time at Department of Energy lab-
oratories in the areas of nuclear science and tech-
nology; and 
(2) a visiting scientist program in which Na-
tional Laboratory staff can spend time in academic 
nuclear science, engineering, and health physics de-
partments. 
The Secretary may under subsection (b)(1) provide fellow-
ships for students to spend time at National Laboratories 
in the areas of nuclear science, engineering, and health
physics with a member of the Laboratory staff acting as 
a mentor. 
(e) OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE.—Funding for 
a research project provided under this section may be used 
to offset a portion of the operating and maintenance costs 
of a research reactor at an institution of higher education 
used in the research project. 
(f) MERIT REVIEW REQUIRED.—All grants, con-
tracts, cooperative agreements, or other financial assist-
ance awards under this Act shall be made only after inde-
pendent merit review. 
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) TOTAL AUTHORIZATION.—The following sums 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of En-
ergy, to remain available until expended, for the purposes 
of carrying out this Act: 
(1) $35,200,000 for fiscal year 2005. 
(2) $44,350,000 for fiscal year 2006. 
(3) $49,200,000 for fiscal year 2007. 
(4) $54,950,000 for fiscal year 2008. 
(b) GRADUATE
AND UNDERGRADUATE FELLOW-
SHIPS.—Of the funds authorized under subsection (a), the 
following sums are authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out section 3(b)(1): 
(1) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2005.
(2) $3,100,000 for fiscal year 2006. 
(3) $3,200,000 for fiscal year 2007. 
(4) $3,200,000 for fiscal year 2008. 
(c) JUNIOR FACULTY RESEARCH INITIATION GRANT 
PROGRAM.—Of the funds authorized under subsection (a), 
the following sums are authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out section 3(b)(2): 
(1) $2,275,000 for fiscal year 2005. 
(2) $3,675,000 for fiscal year 2006. 
(3) $4,150,000 for fiscal year 2007. 
(4) $5,150,000 for fiscal year 2008. 
(d) NUCLEAR ENGINEERING EDUCATION RESEARCH 
AND NUCLEAR HEALTH PHYSICS.—Of the funds author-
ized under subsection (a), the following sums are author-
ized to be appropriated to carry out section 3(b)(3): 
(1) $11,000,000 for fiscal year 2005, of which 
$3,000,000 shall be for the nuclear health physics. 
(2) $15,600,000 for fiscal year 2006, of which 
$3,600,000 shall be for the nuclear health physics. 
(3) $17,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, of which 
$4,000,000 shall be for the nuclear health physics. 
(4) $19,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, of which 
$4,500,000 shall be for the nuclear health physics. 
(e) COMMUNICATION AND OUTREACH RELATED TO 
NUCLEAR SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND HEALTH PHYS-
ICS.—Of the funds authorized under subsection (a), the 
following sums are authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out section 3(b)(5): 
(1) $500,000 for fiscal year 2005. 
(2) $550,000 for fiscal year 2006. 
(3) $600,000 for fiscal year 2007. 
(4) $650,000 for fiscal year 2008. 
(f) REFUELING OF RESEARCH REACTORS AND IN-
STRUMENTATION UPGRADES.—Of the funds authorized 
under subsection (a), the following sums are authorized 
to be appropriated to carry out section 3(c)(1): 
(1) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2005. 
(2) $6,500,000 for fiscal year 2006. 
(3) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2007. 
(4) $7,500,000 for fiscal year 2008. 
(g) RELICENSING ASSISTANCE.—Of the funds au-
thorized under subsection (a), the following sums are au-
thorized to be appropriated to carry out section 3(c)(2): 
(1) $700,000 for fiscal year 2005. 
(2) $1,100,000 for fiscal year 2006. 
(3) $1,200,000 for fiscal year 2007. 
(4) $1,300,000 for fiscal year 2008. 
(h) INNOVATIONS
IN NUCLEAR INFRASTRUCTURE 
AND EDUCATION PROGRAM.—Of the funds authorized
under subsection (a), the following sums are authorized 
to be appropriated to carry out section 3(c)(3): 
(1) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2005. 
(2) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2006. 
(3) $14,000,000 for fiscal year 2007. 
(4) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2008. 
(i) 
UNIVERSITY-DOE 
LABORATORY
INTER-
ACTIONS.—Of the funds authorized under subsection (a), 
the following sums are authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out section 3(d): 
(1) $1,725,000 for fiscal year 2005. 
(2) $1,825,000 for fiscal year 2006. 
(3) $2,050,000 for fiscal year 2007. 
(4) $3,150,000 for fiscal year 2008. 
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