FORGE Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8648 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8648

 To establish in the Department of State a Foundational Infrastructure
 for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology program, and
                          for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 4, 2026

Mr. Baird (for himself and Mr. Keating) introduced the following bill;
         which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To establish in the Department of State a Foundational Infrastructure
 for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology program, 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 ``Framework for Oversight of
Responsible Global Energy Act'' or the ``FORGE Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF FOUNDATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR RESPONSIBLE
              USE OF SMALL MODULAR REACTOR TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--There is established within the Department of
State a Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small
Modular Reactor Technology program (hereafter in this section referred
to as the ``FIRST program'').
    (b) Program Functions.--The Under Secretary for Arms Control and
International Security, or the designee of the Under Secretary, shall
manage the FIRST program, which shall--
            (1) promote responsible deployment of civil nuclear energy
        internationally that benefits United States economic and
        national security interests;
            (2) advocate, through relevant bilateral and multilateral
        diplomatic engagements and forums, for civil nuclear energy
        projects, technology, and products sourced or exported from
        United States businesses;
            (3) engage in diplomacy with partner governments on
        prioritizing the highest safety, security, and nonproliferation
        standards as requirements for civil nuclear reactor deployment
        decisions, including with regard to small modular reactor
        infrastructure, technology, and products;
            (4) provide consultation to partner countries regarding
        best practices in the field of licensing, legal, and regulatory
        frameworks for the importation or adoption of United States
        nuclear reactor infrastructure, technology, or products;
            (5) provide early-stage commercial project development
        support, including feasibility and engineering studies, that
        are critical to launching United States commercial civil
        nuclear projects abroad and ensure fair market access for
        United States businesses relative to state-backed competitors;
        and
            (6) cooperate with partner countries in the areas of
        training programs, technical resource sharing, and potential
        coordination of codes and standards to support the facilitation
        of small modular reactor fleet deployment.
    (c) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date of
        the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary for Arms Control
        and International Security, or the designee of such Under
        Secretary, shall provide to the appropriate congressional
        committees a report that includes--
                    (A) details on the implementation of the FIRST
                program;
                    (B) a description of FIRST program diplomatic
                outreach and activities, including bilateral and
                multilateral engagements that promote activities
                described in subsection (b);
                    (C) the list of current contributing partners of
                the FIRST program;
                    (D) details relating to potential or ongoing
                cooperation with contributing partners of the FIRST
                program related to program activities described in
                subsection (b);
                    (E) a description of engagements and activities
                conducted by the Department of State to promote and
                expand the FIRST program to additional potential
                contributing partners;
                    (F) a description of FIRST program-related
                engagements with United States businesses in the civil
                nuclear sector; and
                    (G) a description of funds expended on FIRST
                program-related activities, including programming that
                uses funds from Nonproliferation, Anti-Terrorism,
                Demining, and Related Programs and related funding
                sources within the Department.
            (2) Form.--The report required by this subsection shall be
        submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified
        annex submitted separately from the unclassified portion.
    (d) Briefing.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and on a triannual basis thereafter, the Under
Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, or the designee
of the Under Secretary, shall provide to the appropriate congressional
committees a briefing that includes the information required in
subsection (c).
    (e) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House
                of the Representatives; and
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
                Senate.
            (2) United states business.--The term ``United States
        business'' has the meaning given such term in section 2304 of
        the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 4724).
    (f) Sunset.--This section shall terminate on June 8, 2034.
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