10 U.S.C. § 6156 — Acceleration of replacement of cesium blood irradiation sources
submitted 1 year ago by Pub. L. 119-60 to r/title-10-ARMED-FORCES · 534 words · no verdicts yet
The Administrator must work toward eliminating cesium-chloride blood irradiators in the United States by December 31, 2027. The programs are voluntary and may pay specified replacement and source-disposal costs, with required reports and an assessment.
(a) The Administrator* must ensure that covered programs eliminate United States blood irradiation devices using cesium chloride by December 31, 2027. (b) The programs must be voluntary for owners; may let the United States pay* up to 50 percent of each covered device’s replacement cost; may let the United States pay all costs of removing and disposing of retired cesium sources; and must replace devices with x-ray devices or other FDA-approved devices providing significant threat reduction compared with cesium-chloride irradiators. (c) The programs continue through December 31, 2027. (d) Within 180 days after enactment of Public Law 115-232, the Administrator had to report on each United States cesium-chloride device (number, general location, and user type), a plan to meet the goal, a replacement-priority method considering age and prior security efforts, a strategy developed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and FDA to limit new devices, required annual funding, and the disposal path for cesium sources. (e) By September 20, 2023, the Administrator had to assess results, including replacement numbers, life-cycle costs including training, maintenance, and replacement, cost-effectiveness, the new technology’s effectiveness, and whether the goal would be met. (f) “Appropriate congressional committees” means the listed House Appropriations, Armed Services, and Energy and Commerce Committees and Senate Appropriations, Armed Services, Energy and Natural Resources, and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committees. “Covered programs” means the National Nuclear Security Administration* Office of Radiological Security’s Cesium Irradiator Replacement Program and Off-Site Source Recovery Program.
The Administrator* shall ensure that the goal of the covered programs is eliminating the use of blood irradiation devices in the United States that rely on cesium chloride by December 31, 2027.
To meet the goal specified by subsection (a), the Administrator shall carry out the covered programs in a manner that—
is voluntary for owners of blood irradiation devices;
allows for the United States, subject to the review of the Administrator, to pay* up to 50 percent of the per-device cost of replacing blood irradiation devices covered by the programs;
allows for the United States to pay up to 100 percent of the cost of removing and disposing of cesium sources retired from service by the programs; and
replaces such devices with x-ray irradiation devices or other devices approved by the Food and Drug Administration* that provide significant threat reduction as compared to cesium chloride irradiators.
The Administrator shall carry out the covered programs until December 31, 2027.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232), the Administrator shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the covered programs, including—
identification of each cesium chloride blood irradiation device in the United States, including the number, general location, and user type;
a plan for achieving the goal established by subsection (a);
a methodology for prioritizing replacement of such devices that takes into account irradiator age and prior material security initiatives;
in consultation with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Food and Drug Administration, a strategy identifying any legislative, regulatory, or other measures necessary to constrain the introduction of new cesium chloride blood irradiation devices;
identification of the annual funds required to meet the goal established by subsection (a); and
a description of the disposal path for cesium chloride sources under the covered programs.
The Administrator shall submit an assessment to the appropriate congressional committees by September 20, 2023, of the results of the actions on the covered programs under this section, including—
the number of replacement irradiators under the covered programs;
the life-cycle costs of the programs, including personnel training, maintenance, and replacement costs for new irradiation devices;
the cost-effectiveness of the covered programs;
an analysis of the effectiveness of the new irradiation devices’ technology; and
a forecast of whether the Administrator will meet the goal established in subsection (a).
In this section:
The term “appropriate congressional committees” means—
the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives; and
the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate.
The term “covered programs” means the following programs of the Office of Radiological Security of the National Nuclear Security Administration:
The Cesium Irradiator Replacement Program.
The Off-Site Source Recovery Program.
Source credit: (Added and amended Pub. L. 119–60, div. C, title XXXI, § 3111(a), (d)(2)(A), Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 1380, 1462.)
- 2025Enacted · Pub. L. 119-60 · 139 Stat. 1380, 1462
A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 119-60 on 2025-12-18.
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