S4709Reported by Committee

UNLOCK AUKUS Act

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Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2026-06-08
Introduced
9
Cosponsors
S
ⓘ
Type

Sponsor

Pete Ricketts
Pete Ricketts
Republican · NE · Senator
Votes with party: 77.3% (906 recorded votes)
Top industries funding sponsor:
  • Conservative Groups$7,500k
  • Progressive Groups$525k
  • Tech & Internet$43k

Full profile: /officials/R000618

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (9)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 517.

2026-07-27

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

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Previously

Plain-English Summary

The bill would change rules that currently limit how the U.S. can share military equipment and technology with Australia and the United Kingdom under a defense partnership called AUKUS. By modifying these restrictions, the U.S. would be able to more easily export weapons, military gear, and related services to these two allied countries without going through as many approval steps. This affects defense contractors and military suppliers who want to do business with Australia and the UK, as well as the three countries' military cooperation efforts.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

Subjects

International Affairs

Full Bill Text

Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 4709 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4709 To amend the Arms Export Control Act to modify a limitation relating to exports and transfers of defense articles and services under the AUKUS partnership, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 8, 2026 Mr. Ricketts (for himself and Mr. Kaine) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Arms Export Control Act to modify a limitation relating to exports and transfers of defense articles and services under the AUKUS partnership, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Unlocking Next-Generation Licensing and Opportunities for Collaborative Know-how for AUKUS Act'' or the ``UNLOCK AUKUS Act''. SEC. 2. MODIFICATION OF LIMITATION RELATING TO EXPORTS AND TRANSFERS OF DEFENSE ARTICLES AND SERVICES UNDER THE AUKUS PARTNERSHIP. Section 38(l)(4)(B) of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2778(l)(4)(B)) is amended by inserting ``, excluding subclauses (I), (II), and (III)'' after ``subsection (j)(1)(C)(ii)''. <all>
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