Nuclear Forensics and Attribution Act

(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on December 23, 2009. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Nuclear Forensics and Attribution Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should: (1) pursue bilateral and multilateral international agreements to establish an international framework for determining the source of any confiscated nuclear or radiological material or weapon, as well as the source of any detonated weapon and the nuclear or radiological material used in such a weapon; (2) develop protocols for the data exchange and dissemination of sensitive information relating to nuclear or radiological materials and samples of controlled nuclear or radiological materials to the extent required by such agreements; and (3) develop expedited protocols for the data exchange and dissemination of sensitive information needed to publicly identify the source of a nuclear detonation.

Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to include within the mission of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to: (1) lead the development and implementation of the national strategic five-year plan for improving U.S. nuclear forensic and attribution capabilities required under the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2010; (2) establish within the Office a National Technical Nuclear Forensics Center to provide centralized stewardship, planning, assessment, gap analysis, exercises, improvement, and integration for all federal nuclear forensics and attribution activities; (3) establish a National Nuclear Forensics Expertise Development Program that is devoted to developing and maintaining a vibrant and enduring academic pathway from undergraduate to post-doctorate study in nuclear and geochemical science specialties directly relevant to technical nuclear forensics and that shall provide undergraduate and doctoral student scholarships and awards to ensure that faculty and their graduate students have a sustained funding stream; and (4) report to Congress annually on such activities.

Requires the Director of the Office and each of the relevant departments that are partners in the Center to: (1) include, as part of required assessments, evaluations, and reviews, each office's or department's activities and investments in support of nuclear forensics and attribution activities and specific goals and objectives accomplished during the previous year pursuant to the national strategic five-year plan for improving U.S. nuclear forensic and attribution capabilities; (2) attach, as an appendix to the Joint Interagency Annual Review, the most current version of such strategy and plan; and (3) include a description of new or amended bilateral and multilateral agreements and efforts in support of nuclear forensics and attribution activities accomplished during the previous year.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov