The legislative bases of BER are the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 ( 42 U.S.C. 5801 et seq.), the Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977 (DOE Act; 42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.), and the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-486, October 24, 1992). Annual appropriation laws provide funding and guidance for the program's activities. In the Congressional budget process, the BER program is governed by the four Congressional Committees shown below. Each Committee contains a subcommittee who specifically considers the BER portion of the President's Budget Request.