Department of Energy Nuclear Transparency Act
Latest action. Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
The 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.
Department of Energy Nuclear Transparency Act
This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to report actions related to its authorization of DOE nuclear facilities and other related DOE actions on a public website within 72 hours of those authorizations or actions occurring.
Specifically, DOE must post information about agreements to authorize nuclear facilities that fall under Hazard Category 1, 2, or 3. Hazard categories are based on the radioactive material inventories of the facilities and the potential consequences to the public, workers, and the environment. Hazard Category 1 represents the highest potential consequence.
DOE must also post a summary of any actions it took to alter a directive or safety standard relating to such facilities.
Further, DOE must post any preliminary documented safety analysis or documented safety analysis that it issues for such facilities. A preliminary documented safety analysis means documentation prepared in connection with the design and construction of a new Hazard Category 1, 2, or 3 DOE nuclear facility or a major modification to such nuclear facility already in existence that provides a reasonable basis for the preliminary conclusion that the nuclear facility can be operated safely through the consideration of certain factors. A documented safety analysis means a documented analysis of the extent to which a nuclear facility can be operated safely with respect to workers, the public, and the environment.
DOE must also issue an annual report detailing any activities it took to authorize such DOE nuclear facilities during the previous year.
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 2, 2026. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where 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 12, 2026: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- 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?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Kathy Castor (D-FL) introduced it on June 2, 2026, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Republican.
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 2, 2026, 165 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2 days ago, on November 12, 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
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers