{
  "id": "RL32538",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL32538",
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  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 100112,
      "date": "2004-10-19",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T20:06:12.004951",
      "title": "9/11 Commission Recommendations: Joint Committee on Atomic Energy -- A Model for Congressional Oversight?",
      "summary": "In its July 22, 2004, final report, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United\nStates (also known as the \"9/11 Commission\") proposed a five-part plan to build unity of effort\nacross the U.S. government in fighting terrorism. The commission's report includes specific\nrecommendations for \"centralizing and strengthening congressional oversight of intelligence and\nhomeland security issues\" including a recommendation that Congress consider creating a joint\ncommittee for intelligence, using the Joint Atomic Energy Committee as its model. Created in the\nwake of the explosion of the first atomic weapon in the summer of 1945, the Joint Committee on\nAtomic Energy (JCAE 1946-1977) has been described as one of the most powerful congressional\ncommittees in history. \n  Congress gave the JCAE exclusive jurisdiction over \"all bills, resolutions, and other matters\"\nrelating to civilian and military aspects of nuclear power, and made it the only permanent joint\ncommittee in modern times to have legislative authority. The panel coupled these legislative powers\nwith exclusive access to the information upon which its highly secretive deliberations were based. \nAs overseer of the Atomic Energy Commission, the joint committee was also entitled by statute to\nbe kept \"fully and currently informed\" of all commission activities and vigorously exercised that\nstatutory right, demanding information and attention from the executive branch in a fashion that\narguably has no equivalent today. \n  This report provides an outline of the structure and history of the Joint Committee on Atomic\nEnergy and raises a number of issues that might be considered by policymakers as they weigh the\nsuitability of the JCAE as a possible model when crafting congressional oversight mechanisms. For\nexample, one factor that might be weighed by policymakers is evidence that shows that the JCAE\nwas not  created  to be one of the most powerful committees in congressional history;\nit  evolved  into\none as a result of personalities and circumstances.\n  On August 25, 2004, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) and Minority Leader Tom\nDaschle (D-SD) announced the appointment of a working group of 22 Senators to examine how best\nto implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission that deal with reform of the Senate's\noversight of intelligence and homeland security. On October 9, 2004, the Senate adopted\n S.Res. 445 , as amended, which made a number of changes in the operation and\njurisdiction of Senate committees to improve oversight. The 9/11 Commission's recommendation\nfor a joint committee modeled after the JCAE was not included in  S.Res. 445 .\n  In October, both chambers passed legislation to make changes in the structure of U.S.\nintelligence agencies. While  H.R. 10 , the 9/11 Recommendations Implementation Act,\nand  S. 2845 , the National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004, each embrace a number of\nthe intelligence reform recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission, none included provisions\nmodeled after the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. This report will be updated as circumstances\nwarrant.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL32538",
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      "topics": []
    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs5766/",
      "id": "RL32538 2004-08-20",
      "date": "2004-08-20",
      "retrieved": "2005-06-10T23:59:22",
      "title": "9/11 Commission Recommendations: Joint Committee on Atomic Energy - A Model for Congressional Oversight?",
      "summary": "This report focuses on that portion of the 9/11 Commission recommendation that urges Congress to consider the model of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy (JCAE). It provides an outline of the history, structure, and powers of the JCAE and analyzes a number of issues that might be considered by policymakers as they weigh the suitability of the JCAE as a possible model when crafting congressional oversight mechanisms for intelligence.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
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          "filename": "files/20040820_RL32538_2ca0f0956edd164955143512651d9c09cbf8df18.pdf"
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          "format": "HTML",
          "filename": "files/20040820_RL32538_2ca0f0956edd164955143512651d9c09cbf8df18.html"
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      ],
      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Congress",
          "name": "Congress"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Nuclear energy - Congressional oversight",
          "name": "Nuclear energy - Congressional oversight"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Congressional joint committees",
          "name": "Congressional joint committees"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Energy",
          "name": "Energy"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "American Law",
    "Economic Policy",
    "Intelligence and National Security",
    "National Defense"
  ]
}