America First Energy Act
This bill, titled the America First Energy Act, would amend the Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation of the Department of Energy as established under the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act. Its core change is to tighten who can serve as leadership and on the board of the Foundation. Specifically, it would prohibit Department of Energy employees from serving as voting members of the Foundation’s Board and require all voting members, as well as the Foundation’s Executive Director and all officers and employees, to be U.S. citizens or otherwise eligible under certain immigration statuses (U.S. nationals, refugees admitted under the Refugee Act, or lawful permanent residents). The provision also ties these requirements to security-related provisions (consistent with Subtitle D and a 2021 NDAA security provision). In short, the bill aims to ensure that the Foundation’s governance and staffing are limited to U.S. citizens, nationals, refugees, or permanent residents, and it aligns the Foundation’s security framework with existing federal security authorities.
Key Points
- 1Prohibits Department of Energy employees from being voting members of the Foundation’s Board.
- 2Defines eligible voting member status as: U.S. citizen; U.S. national; refugee admitted under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act; or lawful permanent resident.
- 3Extends the same eligibility requirements to the Foundation’s Executive Director, as well as all officers and employees.
- 4Keeps the Foundation’s security and operations aligned with specific federal security provisions (Subtitle D and a 2021 NDAA security statute).
- 5The act is titled the “America First Energy Act,” signaling a policy goal of prioritizing U.S. national interests in the Foundation’s governance and operations.