House · On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as AmendedPassed
Yea 397 Nay 2 Present / not voting 34
H.R. 3978 · 119th CongressIn committee
Nuclear REFUEL (Recycling Efficient Fuels Utilizing Expedited Licensing) Act
Latest action. Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate legislative calendarThe list of measures reported out of committee and eligible for floor action. Being on the calendar is not a promise of a vote.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) under General Orders. Calendar No. 695.
Live record from Congress.gov, updated as the official record changes.
What this bill would do
Official summary · Congressional Research ServiceThe following analysis is based on draft bill text that was made available by the House of Representatives and may differ from the bill text as introduced.
Nuclear REFUEL (Recycling Efficient Fuels Utilizing Expedited Licensing) Act
This bill directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to license future recycling facilities that reprocess certain spent nuclear fuel (i.e., radioactive waste) under regulations for special nuclear material rather than regulations for production and utilization facilities. The bill applies to domestic facilities that reprocess spent nuclear fuel in a manner that does not isolate plutonium. Generally, such recycling facilities reprocess spent nuclear fuel into materials that may be reused as nuclear fuel for electricity.
While there are no commercial reprocessing facilities currently operating in the United States, the bill specifies which regulatory framework the NRC must use when issuing licenses to future facilities by excluding such facilities from the statutory definition of production facility . The licensing process under regulations for special nuclear material has fewer steps than the licensing process under regulations for production and utilization facilities.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on June 12, 2025. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Status
Introduced
June 12, 2025
In committee
November 10, 2026
Passed a chamber
Cleared Congress
Enacted
Common questions
Composed from the official recordWhere is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on November 10, 2026: Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 695.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
Yes. 1 recorded roll-call vote cites this measure, listed further down this page with every member's position.
Who is behind it?
Robert Latta (R-OH) introduced it on June 12, 2025, and 28 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 8 Democrats, 20 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on June 12, 2025, 520 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 4 days ago, on November 10, 2026.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 119th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2027 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HousePassed on a recorded vote (official bill record may lag)
- SenateAwaiting Senate vote
- PresidentAwaits both chambers