Title: North Korea Ballistic Missile Investigations Act
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
North Korea Ballistic Missile Investigations Act
This bill requires the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to conduct an investigation and report to Congress regarding North Korea's alleged procurement of engines and related technology from foreign sources.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4123 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4123

To require the Director of National Intelligence, in coordination with 
the Secretary of State, to submit a report to Congress with respect to 
 North Korea's procurement of engines and technologies from a foreign 
                    source, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 25, 2017

    Mr. Gottheimer (for himself and Mr. Francis Rooney of Florida) 
  introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Permanent 
 Select Committee on Intelligence, and in addition to the Committee on 
  Foreign Affairs, 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 require the Director of National Intelligence, in coordination with 
the Secretary of State, to submit a report to Congress with respect to 
 North Korea's procurement of engines and technologies from a foreign 
                    source, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``North Korea Ballistic Missile 
Investigations Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) According to experts, North Korea's missile program has 
        made ``astounding strides over the past two years'', marked 
        particularly by the successful launching of two new missiles 
        within ten months: the intermediate-range Hwasong-12 and the 
        intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-14.
            (2) According to a August 14, 2017, report by the 
        International Institute for Strategic Studies, North Korea made 
        these advancements by acquiring a high-performance liquid-
        propellant engine from a foreign source, likely from Ukraine.
            (3) Available evidence indicates that the liquid-propellant 
        engine is based on the Soviet RD-250 family of engines, and has 
        been modified to operate as the boosting force for the Hwasong-
        12 and the Hwasong-14. Those engines are linked to a missile 
        factory in Dnipro, Ukraine, which has been struggling 
        financially over the past decade.
            (4) The New York Times reported on September 17, 2017, that 
        North Korea may have initially procured rocket fuel from China 
        and Russia, including the highly volatile fuel unsymmetrical 
        dimethyl hydrazine.

SEC. 3. INVESTIGATION WITH RESPECT TO NORTH KOREA.

    (a) In General.--The Director of National Intelligence, in 
coordination with the Secretary of State, shall conduct an 
investigation into North Korea's alleged procurement of engines and 
related technology, including the procurement of unsymmetrical dimethyl 
hydrazine, from foreign sources.
    (b) Report Required.--Not later than 105 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence shall 
submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that 
contains the conclusions of the investigation conducted under 
subsection (a) and addresses each of the following:
            (1) North Korea's indigenous capabilities to have produced 
        unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine and intercontinental ballistic 
        missile engines, and the likelihood of foreign procurement of 
        such fuel and missiles.
            (2) The role of Russia and China in helping North Korea to 
        illegally procure missile technology.
    (c) Consultation Required.--The Director of National Intelligence 
shall conduct the investigation under subsection (a) in consultation 
with the Government of Ukraine.

SEC. 4. COOPERATIVE THREAT REDUCTION ENHANCEMENT.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program was 
        established to combat the type of proliferation alleged by the 
        International Institute for Strategic Studies report described 
        in section 2(2); and
            (2) the United States needs to take steps to strengthen 
        that program, particularly in Ukraine, to thwart the 
        proliferation of sensitive technology or expertise.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with 
the Secretary of State, shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees a report including recommendations to improve the 
implementation of the Department of Defense Cooperative Threat 
Reduction Program established by section 1321 of the Department of 
Defense Cooperate Threat Reduction Act (50 U.S.C. 3711).

SEC. 5. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.

    In this Act, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
means--
            (1) the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the 
        Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Financial 
        Services, and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
        Representatives; and
            (2) the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on 
        Foreign Relations, the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
        Affairs, and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate.
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