Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 2018
Public Law 115-387 · H.R. 7213 · 115th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Dec 21, 2018 · Emergency Management
Sponsor: Rep. Daniel Donovan (R-NY-11)
Cosponsors (1): Rep. Michael McCaul
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 2018
(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, headed by an Assistant Secretary. The Assistant Secretary shall serve as the principal advisor to DHS on weapons of mass destruction matters and strategies, and on coordinating efforts to counter weapons of mass destruction.
The office shall coordinate DHS strategy and policy to plan, detect, and protect against the importation, possession, storage, transportation, development, or use of unauthorized chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear materials, devices, or agents.
The Assistant Secretary shall establish the Securing the Cities program to detect and prevent terrorist attacks and other high consequence events utilizing nuclear or other radiological materials that pose a high risk to homeland security in high-risk urban areas.
The bill establishes in the office a Chief Medical Officer who shall serve as the principal advisor to DHS on medical and public health issues.
DHS shall transfer to the office all personnel, budget authority, and assets of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office and the Office of Health Affairs.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 6198Related bill
Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 2018
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 15 actions.
- Dec 21, 2018Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 115-387.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 19, 2018FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Dec 18, 2018FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- Dec 11, 2018CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
- Dec 10, 2018FloorFloor · UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST - Mr. Donovan asked unanimous consent that an exchange of letters between the Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security be included in the Record. Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
- FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Donovan asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Energy and Commerce discharged.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security discharged.
- Dec 3, 2018CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.