Summary of Nonproliferation Provisions in the 9/11 Commission Bill

Below is an excellent summary put out today by David Culp of FCNL.

The House-Senate conference report, House Report 110-259, on H.R. 1, “Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act,” was filed yesterday. The House and, possibly, the Senate are expected to take up the bill tomorrow (July 27). [UPDATE: The Senate adopted the bill 85-8 late on July 26.]

Title 18 of bill contains a number of nonproliferation provisions. It:

• Repeals the limitations on the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR, or Nunn-Lugar) program and extends the program beyond the former Soviet Union.
• Authorizes the Proliferation Security Initiative.
• Authorizes such funds as necessary for the CTR program and the Energy Department’s nonproliferation programs for FY08, subject to the ceilings in the FY08 defense authorization bill. As written, this authorization does not provide any new funds.
• Creates a nonproliferation czar in the White House with the title Coordinator for the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism.
• Establishes the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, a six-month, bipartisan congressional commission that will report to Congress on nonproliferation issues.