Legislation

Senate Legislation
House Legislation

* Indicates that Peace Action supports this legislation

Introduced Senate Legisation on Iran

*S.759 - Sponsor: James Webb (D-VA)
"A bill to prohibit the use of funds for military operations in Iran."
Introduced: March 5, 2007
Cosponsors (0):
Summary: Prohibits funding for military activities within or above Iran's territory or within Iran's territorial waters without specific congressional authorization.This bill provides the following exceptions: (1) to directly repel an attack launched from within Iran's territory; (2) to directly thwart an imminent attack to be launched from within Iran's territory; (3) in hot pursuit of forces engaged outside the territory of Iran who thereafter enter into Iran; and (4) connected with U.S. government intelligence or intelligence-related activities.

*S.Res. 39 – Sponsor: Robert Byrd (D-WV)
"A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate on the need for approval by the Congress before any offensive military action by the United States against another nation."
Introduced: January 24, 2007
Cosponsors (1): Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
Summary: S.Res. 39 reaffirms that although "the President, in an emergency, may act to defend the country and repel sudden attack," the Constitution grants Congress "the power to take the country from a state of peace to a state of war" and therefore "any offensive military action by the United States against another country shall occur only after the Congress has authorized such action."

*S.Con.Res. 13 – Sponsor: Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
“A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress that the President should not initiate military action against Iran without first obtaining authorization from Congress.”
Introduced: February 15, 2007
Cosponsors: none
Summary: S.Con.Res. 13 states that military action against Iran does not fall within the President's `Commander in Chief' powers under the Constitution. It also rejects any suggestion that the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 authorizes military force against Iran.

S. 387 – Sponsor: Ron Wyden (D-OR)
“A bill to prohibit the sale by the Department of Defense of parts for F-14 fighter aircraft.”
Introduced: January 25, 2007
Cosponsors (1): Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Summary: S. 387, also known as the “Stop Arming Iran Act,” states that “the Department of Defense may not sell (whether directly or indirectly) any parts for F-14 fighter aircraft, whether through the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service or through another agency or element of the Department.” H.R. 387 is specifically aimed at F-14 sales to Iran.

Introduced House Legisation on Iran

*H.Con.Res. 33 – Sponsor: Peter DeFazio (D-OR-4)
"Expressing the sense of Congress that the President should not initiate military action against Iran without first obtaining authorization from Congress."
Introduced: January 16, 2007
Cosponsors: 50 Democrats, see THOMAS
Summary: H.Con.Res. 33 references the U.S. Constitution and traces the history of the war-making powers of the President to express the sense of Congress that: 1) initiating a military attack against Iran falls outside the President’s "Commander-in-Chief" constitutional authority; 2) the authorization of force resolution approved in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, does not extend to authorizing the President to use force against Iran, including over its nuclear program; 3) the authorization of force resolution approved to go to war with Iraq does not extend to authorizing the President to use force against Iran, including over its nuclear program; and 4) seeking congressional authorization prior to taking military action against Iran isn’t discretionary for the President, but a legal and constitutional requirement.

*H.Res. 163 – Sponsor: Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-3)
“Urging the collective judgment of both Congress and the President regarding the use of military force by the United States.”
Introduced: February 14, 2007
Cosponsors: 8 Democrats, see THOMAS
Summary: H.Res. 163 expresses the sense of the House that the Constitution provides that the President may act to defend the country in an emergency, but reserves the matter of offensive war to Congress and reaffirms congressional constitutional authority.

*H.J.Res. 14 – Sponsor: Walter Jones (R-NC-3)
“Concerning the use of military force by the United States against Iran.”
Introduced: January 12, 2007
Cosponsors: 53 Democrats, 4 Republicans, see THOMAS
Summary: H.J.Res. 14 states that unless there is an “attack by Iran, or a demonstrably imminent attack by Iran, upon the United States, its territories or possessions or its armed forces,” the President must consult with Congress and receive specific authorization prior to initiating military force against Iran.

*H.R. 770 – Sponsor: Barbara Lee (D-CA-9)
“To prohibit the use of funds to carry out any covert action for the purpose of causing regime change in Iran or to carry out any military action against Iran in the absence of an imminent threat, in accordance with international law and constitutional and statutory requirements for congressional authorization.”
Introduced: January 31, 2007
Cosponsors: 14 Democrats, see THOMAS
Summary: H.R. 770, also known as the “Iran Nuclear Nonproliferation Act,” expresses the sense of Congress that while Iran should put enforceable safeguards on its nuclear facilities and stop supporting international terrorist organizations, these two outcomes should not be preconditions for diplomatic dialogue. H.R. 770 prohibits the use of funds for “covert action for the purpose of causing regime change in Iran or to carry out any military action against Iran in the absence of an imminent threat.”

H.R. 957 - Sponsor: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL-18)
"To amend the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to expand and clarify the entities against which sanctions may be imposed."
Introduced: February 8, 2007
Cosponsors: 10 Democrats, 12 Republicans, see THOMAS
Summary: H.R. 957 clarifies language in the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, modifying the definition of "trust" to include "financial institution, insurer, underwriter, guarantor, any other business organization, including any foreign subsidiaries" and adds "export credit agency" to banned businesses while broadening the defintion of petroleum production to include "petroleum by-products, [and] liquified natural gas."

H.R. 394 – Sponsor: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL-18)
"To provide for payment of certain claims against the Government of Iran."
Introduced: January 10, 2007
Cosponsors: 4 Democrats, 4 Republicans, see THOMAS
Summary: H.R. 394 revokes any provision of the Algiers Accords, entered into by the U.S. with Iran on January 19, 1981, that "purports to bar a citizen of the United States from prosecuting any claim in any court of the United States or to limit the jurisdiction of any court of the United States is hereby abrogated and deemed nonapplicable." H.R. 394 calls for the Secretaries of Treasury and State to commence payments into a common fund no later than 90 days after the enactment of H.R. 394. The common fund will pay "claims to the Americans held hostage in Iran, and to members of their families" by liquidating blocked Iranian assets and by taking funds from the Iran Foreign Military Sales Fund account within the Foreign Military Sales Fund.

H.Con.Res. 21 – Sponsor: Steven Rothman (D-NJ-9)
"Calling on the United Nations Security Council to charge Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with violating the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the United Nations Charter because of his calls for the destruction of the State of Israel."
Introduced: January 9, 2007
Cosponsors: 46 Democrats, 28 Republicans, see THOMAS
Summary: H.Con.Res. 21 condemns Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's "offensive remarks, contemptible statements, and reprehensible policies aimed at the destruction of the State of Israel," and calls on the United Nations Security Council to charge Ahmadinejad with violating both the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the United Nations Charter (Article 2, Section 4). H.Con.Res. 21 goes on to urge the U.N. to take steps to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and reaffirms the U.S. "strategic partnership" with Israel.

H.R. 1324 – Sponsor: Jim Saxton (R-NJ-3)
“To urge the Secretary of State to designate the Quds Force, a unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, as a foreign terrorist organization.”
Introduced: March 5, 2007
Cosponsors: 2 Democrats, 6 Republicans, see THOMAS
Summary: H.R. 1324 uses Quds Force involvement in Iraq and with Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Al Aqsa Martyr's Brigades to justify calling on the Secretary of State to designate it a foreign terrorist organization under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189) in order to “focus attention on the threat this organization poses to the United States and the international community.”

Some of the research for this page was collected by Travis Sharp, Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow, Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, tsharp@armscontrolcenter.org

This page is currently under construction.