Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Reform Act

HR 4675, the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Reform Act, reforms the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) to modernize its role. The bill requires the ACRS to limit reviews to "novel or safety-significant" reactor issues (not routine topics), changes how the ACRS chairman is selected (by NRC Commission majority), and prohibits the committee from forming subcommittees. It also exempts ACRS-related costs (like meeting preparation) from fee recovery requirements. This directly affects the ACRS, NRC staff, and nuclear reactor licensing applicants by streamlining the review process for safety-critical applications.