# 119-s-4709: UNLOCK AUKUS Act

119-s-4709, UNLOCK AUKUS Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE] (R-NE); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-27).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4709
- As of: 2026-09-27
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4709
- Congress: 119
- Title: UNLOCK AUKUS Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-06-08
- Sponsor: Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE] (R-NE)
- Cosponsors: 9
- Policy area: International Affairs
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-27

## Summary

**Exempts three subclauses from AUKUS export limits.** This bill would amend the Arms Export Control Act by inserting a carve-out into Section 38(l)(4)(B) so the reference to subsection (j)(1)(C)(ii) would explicitly exclude subclauses (I), (II), and (III). The effect would be to narrow the statutory limitation on exports and transfers of defense articles and services tied to the AUKUS partnership, and to ensure that items or services covered by those three subclauses are not constrained by that specific limitation.

## Cosponsors (9)

- Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (D-VA), 2026-06-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL] (R-FL), 2026-06-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] (D-DE), 2026-06-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] (R-ID), 2026-06-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO] (D-CO), 2026-06-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK] (R-AK), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kim, Andy [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN), 2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL), 2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Easier AUKUS export approvals for defense firms: benefit, low. This bill would narrow a legal limit on some AUKUS-related defense exports. It would amend Section 38(l)(4)(B) of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2778(l)(4)(B)). The amendment inserts the phrase ", excluding subclauses (I), (II), and (III)" after the reference to "subsection (j)(1)(C)(ii)".…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025
- 119-s-1032: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.
- 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona.
- 119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina.

## Sources
- [119-s-4709 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4709)

## Related
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [119-s-1032: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1032)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897)
- [119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham,…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-801)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4709 (as of 2026-09-27).