Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1368, the DOE and NASA Interagency Research Act is a smart piece of legislation that will ensure that we stay competitive in the global race to return humans to the Moon and then send crewed missions on to Mars. Without key partnerships like this, we would be unable to take the crucial steps in energy production and propulsion technologies necessary to extend our reach beyond Earth. I thank Representative Begich and Representative Whitesides for their leadership in moving this bill forward. Mr.
H.R. 1368: DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act
Introduced Feb 14, 20253 cosponsors
Sponsor
Nicholas Begich
Republican · AK
Bill Progress
IntroducedFeb 14
Committee
Pass HouseMar 24
Pass Senate
Signed
Law
Latest Action · Mar 25, 2025
1/3
Passed the House, received in Senate
DOE, NASA team up on research
4 min readLast updated April 16, 2026
Why it matters
As the U.S. races on space, energy, quantum, and AI, this bill formally links the Department of Energy and NASA so they can combine labs, data, and infrastructure instead of working in parallel.
Congress also demands accountability on a firm timeline. Not later than two years after enactment, DOE and NASA must report to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology; the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. That report must cover the details of coordination activities, the impact on the technical capabilities of both agencies, collaborative achievements, future mutually beneficial work specifically including clean energy technologies such as marine energy, and whether the coordination will continue. The bill also ties this work to existing legal guardrails, requiring compliance with section 305 and section 306 of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act, section 60501 of title 51, sections 403 and 404 of the National Quantum Initiative Act, and the research security rules in subtitle D of title VI of Public Law 117–167.
H.R. 1368 Bill Summary
What H.R. 1368 actually does.
1
Formal DOE-NASA coordination with 2 agencies
The bill authorizes the Secretary of Energy and the NASA Administrator to carry out cross-cutting research and development activities between the Department of Energy and NASA, and requires that coordination be set up through memoranda of understanding or other appropriate interagency agreements.
2
Joint deals can be reimbursable or not
Section 2(d)(1) explicitly allows both reimbursable and non-reimbursable agreements, giving DOE and NASA flexibility to structure joint work depending on whether one agency needs to pay the other for services, facilities, or support.
3
Research list includes dark matter and nuclear propulsion
The bill names specific focus areas including nuclear thermal propulsion, nuclear electric propulsion, radioisotope power systems, thermoelectric generators, advanced nuclear fuels, heater units, machine learning, predictive analysis, astrophysics, cosmology including dark energy and dark matter, radiation health effects, and space-collected solar energy transmission to Earth.
4
Merit-reviewed awards open to 5 applicant types
Awards must be selected through merit-review-based processes, and eligible applicants include Federal agencies, National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, non-profit institutions, and other appropriate entities.
5
Congress gets report within 2 years
Not later than two years after enactment, DOE and NASA must submit a report to three committees: the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology; the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
6
Existing law still controls quantum and security work
The bill says joint activities must comply with section 305 and section 306 of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act, section 60501 of title 51, sections 403 and 404 of the National Quantum Initiative Act, and the research security rules in subtitle D of title VI of Public Law 117–167.
Who benefits from H.R. 1368?
NASA mission and technology programs
NASA gains clearer access to DOE research infrastructure and capabilities under Section 2(c)(4), which could help on propulsion, radioisotope power systems, radiation health effects, and high-end computing work.
Department of Energy National Laboratories
National Laboratories are expressly eligible to participate in merit-reviewed awards and are positioned to provide facilities, nuclear expertise, quantum research capacity, and large-scale modeling support for joint DOE-NASA projects.
Universities and nonprofit research institutions
Institutions of higher education and non-profit institutions are specifically named as eligible applicants, meaning they can compete for collaborative R&D projects in areas like machine learning, dark energy, environmental science, and quantum network infrastructure.
Clean energy and space power researchers
The bill specifically includes ground- and space-based technology for transmitting space-collected solar energy to Earth and requires the two-year report to discuss future mutually beneficial activities including clean energy technologies like marine energy.
Who is affected by H.R. 1368?
Department of Energy leadership
The Secretary of Energy is directly responsible for coordinating with the NASA Administrator, entering into reimbursable and non-reimbursable agreements, and supporting NASA access to DOE infrastructure where practicable.
NASA leadership
The NASA Administrator must jointly manage cross-cutting R&D with DOE and help produce the required report not later than two years after enactment for three congressional committees.
Competing research applicants
Federal agencies, National Laboratories, universities, nonprofits, and other appropriate entities are affected because any awards under the bill must go through merit-review-based processes rather than informal selection.
Congressional oversight committees
Three committees—the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology; the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation—must review a detailed implementation report within two years after enactment.
On the Record
What Congress Is Saying
H.R. 1368 has come up 5 times in the Congressional Record so far.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act, H.R. 1368. The gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Begich) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Whitesides), the vice ranking member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, introduced this bill. It is another great bipartisan bill. These Members of Congress from the Western part of this Nation fully understand and appreciate what it means to have coordinated interagency activities on behalf of our competitive abilities.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1368, the DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act. The Department of Energy and NASA have an extensive history of collaboration, which has enhanced both our understanding of the universe and our ability to explore well beyond our planet. The Voyager spacecrafts, which were launched more than 40 years ago and are now flying far beyond our own solar system in interstellar space, continue to operate with DOE's groundbreaking propulsion systems.
H.R. 1368 also appeared in 2 routine cosponsor filings.
HR1368 Legislative Journey
Committee Action
Mar 25, 2025
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
House: Vote: 1207-1208
Mar 24, 2025
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H1207-1208)
House: Committee Action
Feb 14, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
About the Sponsor
Nicholas Begich
Republican, Alaska · 1 years in Congress
Committees: Science, Space, and Technology, Natural Resources, Transportation and Infrastructure
View full profile →
Cosponsors (3)
No new cosponsors in 254 days — momentum stalled
This bill has 3 cosponsors: 2 Democrats, 1 Republican, reflecting bipartisan support. Cosponsors represent 3 states: California, Utah, Virginia.
2Democrats1Republican·3 statesBipartisan
Committee Sponsors
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
13D15R
|0 signed28 not yet0 of 28 committee members cosponsored
No committee members have cosponsored this bill
Science, Space, and Technology Committee
18D21R
|2 signed37 not yet2 of 39 committee members cosponsored
35 Republicans across these committees haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 1368 Quick Facts
Cosponsors
3
- Committee
- Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Introduced
- Feb 14, 2025
Passed the House, received in Senate
Mar 25, 2025
Official Sources
H.R. 1368 on Congress.gov
Official Congress.gov page for the DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act, including status, text, and actions.
Department of Energy Office of Science
DOE Office of Science oversees many of the research areas named in the bill, including high energy physics, astrophysics, earth sciences, and quantum information science.
NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate
NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate is directly relevant to the bill's focus on propulsion, power systems, and cross-cutting R&D collaboration with DOE.
DOE National Quantum Information Science Research Centers
Official DOE page on quantum information science research centers, relevant to the bill's coverage of quantum computing and quantum network infrastructure.
NASA Science Mission Directorate
NASA's science directorate covers astrophysics, cosmology, and earth science topics specifically listed in the bill, including dark matter and dark energy research.
DOE National Laboratories
Official DOE overview of the National Laboratories, which the bill expressly names as eligible applicants for collaborative merit-reviewed awards.
National Quantum Initiative Act at Congress.gov
The bill explicitly cross-references sections 403 and 404 of the National Quantum Initiative Act for quantum computing and network infrastructure work.
CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 at Congress.gov
This is the enacted legislative vehicle for Public Law 117-167, which the bill cites for federal research security requirements.
H.R. 1368 Common Questions
How long do DOE and NASA have to report to Congress under HR 1368?
DOE and NASA must submit a report to three congressional committees no later than 2 years after enactment, according to HR 1368 Section 2(f).
Which congressional committees get the DOE NASA coordination report?
Under the DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act (Section 2(f)), the report goes to the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources and Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committees.
Can DOE and NASA use reimbursable agreements for joint research?
Yes. Under the DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act (Section 2(d)), the agencies may use both reimbursable and non-reimbursable agreements for joint work.
What are the eligible applicants for DOE NASA research awards?
According to HR 1368 Section 2(e)(2), eligible applicants include federal agencies, National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, nonprofit institutions, and other appropriate entities.
Does HR 1368 require merit review for DOE NASA competitive awards?
Yes. Under the DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act (Section 2(e)(1)), all competitive awards must be selected through merit-review-based processes.
Can DOE and NASA collaborate on dark matter and dark energy research under this bill?
Yes. HR 1368 Section 2(c)(1) specifically includes high energy physics, astrophysics, and cosmology research, including dark energy and dark matter.
Does the DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act cover nuclear thermal propulsion?
Yes. Under the DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act (Section 2(c)(1)), covered propulsion work includes nuclear thermal propulsion, nuclear electric propulsion, radioisotope power systems, and advanced nuclear fuels.
Can NASA use DOE research infrastructure under HR 1368?
Yes. According to HR 1368 Section 2(c)(4), joint activities may support NASA's access to DOE research infrastructure and capabilities.
Does HR 1368 include quantum computing and network infrastructure research?
Yes. Under the DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act (Section 2(c)(1)), joint work can include quantum information sciences, including computing and network infrastructure.
Does the DOE NASA coordination bill require research security compliance?
Yes. According to HR 1368 Section 2(g), all activities must be consistent with the research security rules in subtitle D of title VI of Public Law 117-167.
Based on H.R. 1368 bill text
H.R. 1368 Bill Text
“To provide for Department of Energy and National Aeronautics and Space Administration research and development coordination, and for other purposes.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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