1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Survey Act or the NRC Survey Act . 2. NRC Survey (a) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) The Commission is an independent agency created by Congress in 1974 to ensure the safe use of radioactive materials and nuclear power for beneficial civilian purposes while protecting people and the environment. (2) The mission of the Commission is to regulate the national civilian use of nuclear byproducts, nuclear sources, and special nuclear materials to ensure adequate protection of public health and safety, to promote the common defense and security, and to protect the environment. (3) Before commercial nuclear technology can be deployed in the United States, it must be approved by the Commission. (4) Historically, the Commission has been a thorough, methodical, and conservative agency and is considered to be the gold standard in the world with respect to regulating nuclear power. (5) The Commission is a technically competent agency that seeks strategies to successfully modernize its approach to license the next generation of nuclear reactors. (6) Current licensing procedures through the Commission are very prescriptive and based primarily on conventional pressurized water reactor designs that have the potential to restrict nuclear innovation. (7) The existing design, licensing, and delivery processes for new reactor projects are extremely expensive and have lengthy timelines compared to such design, licensing, and delivery processes in other countries. (8) The Commission reports directly to Congress each year and is an independent agency that is not a part of the executive branch. (b) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that Congress— (1) recognizes the need for the Commission to maintain public trust by keeping the nuclear industry safe while also recognizing the need for increased efficiency to license nuclear reactors in the United States