REPORTS ON CRITICAL DIFFICULTIES AT NUCLEAR WEAPONS LABORATORIES AND NUCLEAR WEAPONS PRODUCTION PLANTS.

SEC. 3159. REPORTS ON CRITICAL DIFFICULTIES AT NUCLEAR WEAPONS LABORATORIES AND NUCLEAR WEAPONS PRODUCTION PLANTS. (a) Reports by Heads of Laboratories and Plants.— In the event of a difficulty at a nuclear weapons laboratory or a nuclear weapons production plant that has a significant bearing on confidence in the safety or reliability of a nuclear weapon or nuclear weapon type, the head of the laboratory or plant, as the case may be, snail submit to the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Defense Programs a report on the difficulty. The head of the laboratory or plant shall submit the report as soon as practicable after discovery of the difficulty. (b) Transmittal by Assistant Secretary.— As soon as practicable after receipt of a report under subsection (a), the Assistant Secretary shall transmit the report (together with the comments of the Assistant Secretary) to the congressional defense committees and to the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of Defense. (c) Reports by Nuclear Weapons Council.— Section 179 of title 10, United States Code, is amended— (1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f); and (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following new subsection (e): “(e) In addition to the responsibilities set forth in subsection (d), the Council shall also submit to Congress a report on any analysis conducted by the Council with respect to difficulties at nuclear weapons laboratories or nuclear weapons production plants 110 STAT. 2843that have significant bearing on confidence in the safety or reliability of nuclear weapons or nuclear weapon types.”. (d) Definitions.— In this section: (1) The term “nuclear weapons laboratory” means the following: (A) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, California. (B) Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico. (C) Sandia National Laboratories. (2) The term “nuclear weapons production plant” means the following: (A) The Pantex Plant, Texas. (B) The Savannah River Site, South Carolina. (C) The Kansas City Plant, Missouri. (D) The Y–12 Plant, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.