Acting on the Annual Duplication Report Act of 2022

Bill: 117-s-4765
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]
Introduced: 2022-08-03
Policy area: Energy
Latest action: action_date: 2022-08-03
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Summaries:
action_date: 2022-08-03
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Acting on the Annual Duplication Report Act of 2022</b></p> <p>This bill requires various activities to implement recommendations identified in a report issued by the Government Accountability Office for reducing fragmentation, overlap, and duplication in federal programs. It specifically addresses recommendations concerning (1) the regulation of radioactive materials and disposal of low-level radioactive waste, and (2) coordination of federal efforts to reduce the risks of chronic health conditions through diet.</p>

tv_txt: II 117th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4765 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES August 3, 2022 Ms. Hassan (for herself and Mr. Paul ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works A BILL To address recommendations made to Congress by the Government Accountability Office and detailed in the annual duplication report, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Acting on the Annual Duplication Report Act of 2022 . 2. Findings; sense of Congress (a) Findings Congress finds that— (1) the annual reports prepared by the Comptroller General of the United States under section 21 of the Joint Resolution entitled Joint Resolution increasing the statutory limit on the public debt , approved February 12, 2010 ( 31 U.S.C. 712 note; Public Law 111–139 ), have produced approximately $531,000,000,000 in financial benefits for the Federal Government; (2) the 2022 report entitled Additional Opportunities to Reduce Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication and Achieve Billions of Dollars in Financial Benefits and numbered GAO–22–105301 identified 94 new actions that Congress or the executive branch can take— (A) to improve efficiency and effectiveness across the Federal Government; and (B) to save potentially tens of billions of dollars; (3) the financial benefits described in paragraph (2) cannot be realized without full implementation of the actions and recommendations set forth by the Comptroller General of the United States in the report described in that paragraph; and (4) of the 94 new actions described in that report, several require legislation to be fully implemented, including recommendations— (A) to improve coordination among 200 Federal efforts to address diet-related chronic illnesses; (B) to encourage the use of lower-risk alternatives to radiation technology; and (C) to clarify statutory authorities for low-level nuclear waste disposal to make that disposal more cost-effective. (b) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) it is the responsibility of Congress and the executive branch to take action to implement recommendations made in the annual reports described in subsection (a)(1) on reducing duplication in Federal programs to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars; (2) legislation and adequate resources are needed to ensure that all potential financial benefits are realized from the implementation of those recommendations; and (3) while some recommendations for congressional action from previous reports have been resolved, Congress must continue to pursue the recommendations that have gone unaddressed in addition to the new recommendations for action presented in the 2022 report described in subsection (a)(2). 3. Increasing coordination among Federal efforts designed to address diet-related chronic health conditions to achieve cost-savings and improve health outcomes (a) Strategy The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall develop and implement a strategy to coordinate Federal, diet-related efforts that aim to reduce the risk of chronic health conditions among the people of the United States. The strategy shall— (1) identify an entity within the Department of Health and Human Services to lead the effort to implement the strategy; (2) address diet-related chronic health conditions that include— (A) obesity; (B) cardiovascular disease and related risk; (C) diabetes; (D) cancer; and (E) conditions related to bone and muscle health; (3) include a plan to coordinate the 200 Federal efforts identified in the report of the Government Accountability Office entitled Chronic Health Conditions: Federal Strategy Needed to Coordinate Diet-Related Efforts , numbered GAO–21–593, and dated August 17, 2021, including efforts related to research, education and clinical services, food assistance and access, and regulatory action; (4) describe the role of relevant agency heads in ensuring that their agencies assist with coordinating the 200 Federal efforts identified in the report described in paragraph (3); (5) identify potential gaps and overlap in and among existing efforts; (6) define desired outcomes and establish performance measures to monitor progress toward achieving those outcomes; and (7) identify priorities for resource allocation. (b) Report Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall submit a report on the implementation of the strategy described in subsection (a), including progress toward achieving outcomes, to— (1) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; (2) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate; (3) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; (4) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives; (5) the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives; and (6) the Committee on Oversight and Reform of the House of Representatives. 4. Reducing American reliance on radiation technology in favor of lower-risk alternatives (a) Byproduct material Section 81 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 ( 42 U.S.C. 2111 ) is amended by adding at the end the following: d. Consideration of alternative technologies (1) Definitions In this subsection: (A) Radiation source The term radiation source has the meaning given the term in section 170H a. (B) Radionuclide of concern The term radionuclide of concern means a radionuclide that, in the determination of the Commission, is sufficiently attractive for use in a radiological dispersal device or for any other malicious purpose such that an alternative to the use of that radionuclide by a licensee under this section should be considered. (2) Alternatives to radionuclides of concern In issuing licenses under this section, the Commission shall consider alternatives to devices or processes that employ radionuclides of concern as a radiation source. (3) Regulations (A) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Commission shall publish a notice of proposed rulemaking describing how the Commission will incorporate into the licensing process of the Commission under this section consideration of alternatives to devices or processes that employ radionuclides of concern as a radiation source. (B) Requirements In carrying out subparagraph (A), the Commission shall consider, at a minimum— (i) directing potential licensees to justify any need for technologies employing a radiation source when a nonradiological alternative is available and viable; and (ii) directing potential licensees to consult with other Government agencies about alternative technologies before the Commission will consider the application of the potential licensee. (C) Consultation and coordination In developing regulations under this paragraph, the Commission shall consult and coordinate with the task force established by section 170H h.(2), as necessary. . (b) Radiation source protection Section 170H of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 ( 42 U.S.C. 2210h ) is amended by adding at the end the following: h. Alternatives to devices or processes that employ radiation sources (1) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that Government agencies should— (A) exercise the authorities provided to those agencies to achieve maximum reduction in the use of devices or processes that employ radiation sources; and (B) wherever possible, promote the use of comparable alternatives to those devices or processes that do not employ radiation sources. (2) Task force on alternatives to devices or processes that employ radiation sources (A) Establishment There is established a task force on alternatives to devices or processes that employ radiation sources (referred to in this subsection as the alternatives task force ). (B) Chair The chair of the alternatives task force shall be the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (or a designee) (referred to in this subsection as the Chair ). (C) Membership The membership of the task force shall consist of— (i) the Chair; (ii) the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (or a designee); (iii) the Secretary of Agriculture (or a designee); (iv) the Secretary of Energy (or a designee); (v) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (or a designee); (vi) the Secretary of Health and Human Services (or a designee); (vii) the Commissioner of Food and Drugs (or a designee); and (viii) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (or a designee). (3) National strategy (A) In general Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this subsection, the alternatives task force shall develop, publish, and implement a national strategy— (i) to maximally reduce the use of devices or processes that employ radiation sources; and (ii) to promote the use of alternatives to those devices or processes that perform some or all of the same functions. (B) Contents The strategy developed under subparagraph (A) shall include all the desirable characteristics of national strategies that have been identified by the Government Accountability Office, including— (i) specific goals and performance measures; (ii) clear roles for government and nongovernment entities; and (iii) proposals to provide relevant authorities to execute those roles. . 5. Eliminating red tape to allow experts to less expensively dispose of low-level nuclear waste Section 3116 of the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 ( Public Law 108–375 ; 50 U.S.C. 2602 note) is amended— (1) by striking subsections (c) and (d) and inserting the following new subsections: (c) Covered States (1) For purposes of this section, the following States are covered States: (A) The State of Idaho. (B) The State of South Carolina. (C) The State of Washington. (2) Subsection (a) shall not apply to any material otherwise covered by that subsection that is transported from the State of Idaho or the State of South Carolina. (d) Low-Level waste offsite disposal project at Hanford site (1) The Secretary shall carry out the Low-Level Waste Offsite Disposal project to demonstrate the feasibility of grouting supplemental low-activity waste from the Hanford Site, Richland, Washington. (2) The Secretary may classify the waste corresponding to the Low-Level Waste Offsite Disposal project in accordance with this section. (3) Waste corresponding to the Low-Level Waste Offsite Disposal project that is reclassified under this section for disposal outside of the State of Washington— (A) may be land-disposed if the State receiving the waste permits the disposal of such waste; and (B) notwithstanding sections 268.40 and 268.42 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations) and as incorporated by reference in section 173–303–140 of title 173, Washington Administrative Code, is not required to be treated to the HLVIT standard (within the meaning of section 268.42(a) of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation)) prior to such disposal. (4) In this subsection, the term Low-Level Waste Offsite Disposal project means the second phase of the test bed initiative of the Office of Environmental Management at the Hanford Site, which intends— (A) to pretreat approximately 2,000 gallons of liquid tank waste; (B) to immobilize the waste at an off-site commercial facility; and (C) to transport the immobilized mixed low-level waste out of the State of Washington for disposal. ; and (2) by striking subsection (e)(2) and inserting the following new paragraph: (2) With the exception of subsection (d)(3)(B), nothing in this section establishes any precedent or is binding on the State of Oregon or any other State not covered by subsection (c) for the management, storage, treatment, and disposition of radioactive and hazardous materials. .