Sanctions Implementation Procedures Act of 1998

Summary: Sanctions Implementation Procedures Act of 1998 - Authorizes the President to delay the initial imposition of sanctions against a foreign country mandated by statute if it is determined that such delay is necessary:  (1) to assist in negotiating a cessation by the country of the sanctionable activity; or (2) for a review of the potential effectiveness of such sanction. 
Terminates such a delay and imposes such a sanction:  (1) 45 days after the delay commenced; or (2), if earlier, when a report submitted under this Act does not recommend that the sanction should not apply. Allows an extended delay of 15 days if such a report does recommend that the sanction should not apply; but requires imposition of the sanction after such 15-day period if the Congress has not enacted a joint resolution approving the recommendation. 
Directs the President to submit to the Congress a report setting forth:  (1) the objectives of the country sanction delayed; (2) the extent of multilateral support, if any, for such sanction; (3) the estimated impact on the country to be sanctioned; (4) the costs and benefits to the United States of imposing the country sanction; and (5) if the President so determines, based upon such information, a recommendation that the country sanction should not apply with respect to a sanctionable activity.  Declares that a country sanction with respect to which the President has made such a recommendation shall not apply with respect to the sanctionable activity if the Congress enacts a joint resolution approving such recommendation. 
Directs the President, two years after the initial imposition of any country sanction, and annually thereafter, to submit a similar report to the Congress. 
Sets forth congressional procedures for the approval of joint resolutions.

Defined.--For purposes of this section, the 
term ``joint resolution'' means--
            (1) in the case of a joint resolution introduced within 5 
        session days of Congress of receipt by Congress of a report 
        described in section 2(b), only a joint resolution the matter 
        after the resolving clause of which is as follows: ``That 
        Congress approves the recommendation of the President to not 
        apply the country sanction described in the report submitted on 
____ pursuant to section 2(b) of the Sanctions Implementation 
Procedures Act of 1998 with respect to the sanctionable activity 
described in the report.'', with the blank filled in with the 
appropriate date; and
            (2) in the case of a joint resolution introduced within 5 
        session days of Congress of receipt by Congress of a report 
        described in section 2(d), only a joint resolution the matter 
        after the resolving clause of which is as follows: ``That 
        Congress approves the recommendation of the President to remove 
        the country sanction described in the report submitted on ____ 
        pursuant to section 2(d) of the Sanctions Implementation 
        Procedures Act of 1998 with respect to the sanctionable 
        activity described in the report.'', with the blank filled in 
        with the appropriate date.
    (b) Referral of Resolutions.--A resolution described in subsection 
(a) that is introduced in the Senate shall be referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Relations of the Senate. A resolution described in 
subsection (a) that is introduced in the House of Representatives shall 
be referred to the Committee on International Relations of the House of 
Representatives.
    (c) Discharge of Committees.--If the committee to which is referred 
a resolution described in subsection (a) has not reported such 
resolution (or an identical resolution) at the end of 5 session days of 
Congress after its introduction, the committee shall be deemed to be 
discharged from further consideration of the resolution and the 
resolution shall be placed on the appropriate calendar of the House 
involved.
    (d) Motions To Proceed to the Consideration of the Resolutions.--
Whenever the committee to which a resolution is referred has reported, 
or has been deemed to be discharged from further consideration of, a 
resolution described in subsection (a), it is at any time thereafter in 
order (even though a previous motion to the same effect has been 
disagreed to) for any member of the respective House to move to proceed 
to the consideration of the resolution, and all points of order against 
the resolution (and against consideration of the resolution) are 
waived. The motion is highly privileged in the House of Representatives 
and is privileged in the Senate and is not debatable. The motion is not 
subject to amendment, or to a motion to postpone, or to a motion to 
proceed to the consideration of other business. A motion to reconsider 
the vote by which the motion is agreed to or disagreed to shall not be 
in order. If a motion to proceed to the consideration of the resolution 
is agreed to, the resolution shall remain unfinished business of the 
respective House until disposed of.
    (e) Time for Debate.--Debate on the resolution, and on all 
debatable motions and appeals in connection therewith, shall be limited 
to not more than 8 hours, which shall be divided equally between those 
favoring and those opposing the resolution. A motion further to limit 
debate is in order and not debatable. An amendment to, or a motion to 
postpone, or a motion to proceed to the consideration of other 
business, or a motion to recommit the resolution is not in order. A 
motion to reconsider the vote by which the resolution is agreed to or 
disagreed to is not in order.
    (f) Vote on Final Passage.--Immediately following the conclusion of 
the debate on a resolution described in subsection (a), and a single 
quorum call at the conclusion of the debate if requested in accordance 
with the rules of the appropriate House, the vote on final passage of 
the resolution shall occur.
    (g) Appeals.--Appeals from the decisions of the Chair relating to 
the application of the rules of the Senate or the House of 
Representatives, as the case may be, to the procedure relating to a 
resolution described in subsection (a) shall be decided without debate.
    (h) Treatment of Other House's Resolution.--If, before the passage 
by one House of a resolution of that House described in subsection (a), 
that House receives from the other House a resolution described in 
subsection (a), then the following procedures shall apply:
            (1) The resolution of the other House shall not be referred 
        to a committee.
            (2) With respect to a resolution described in subsection 
        (a) of the House receiving the resolution--
                    (A) the procedure in that House shall be the same 
                as if no resolution had been received from the other 
                House; but
                    (B) the vote on final passage shall be on the 
                resolution of the other House.
    (i) Presidential Vetoes.--
            (1) In general.--Upon receipt of a message from the 
        President returning the joint resolution unsigned to the House 
        of origin and setting further his objections to the joint 
        resolution, the House receiving the message shall immediately 
        enter the objections at large on the journal of that House and 
        the House shall proceed to the immediate reconsideration of the 
        joint resolution the objections of the President to the 
        contrary notwithstanding or of a motion to proceed to the 
immediate reconsideration of the joint resolution, or the joint 
resolution and objections shall lie on the table. Upon receipt of a 
message of a House transmitting the joint resolution and the objections 
of the President, the House receiving the message shall proceed to the 
immediate reconsideration of the joint resolution the objections of the 
President to the contrary notwithstanding or of a motion to proceed to 
the immediate reconsideration of the joint resolution, or the joint 
resolution and objections shall lie on the table. A motion to refer the 
joint resolution to a committee shall not be in order in either House.
            (2) Motion to proceed.--After the receipt of a message by a 
        House as described in paragraph (1), it is at any time in order 
        (even though a previous motion to the same effect has been 
        disagreed to) for any Member of the respective House to move to 
        proceed to the reconsideration of the joint resolution the 
        objections of the President to the contrary notwithstanding. 
        The motion is highly privileged in the House of Representatives 
        and is a question of highest privilege in the Senate and is not 
        debatable. The motion is not subject to amendment, or to a 
        motion to postpone, or to a motion to proceed to the 
        consideration of other business. A motion to reconsider the 
        vote by which the motion is agreed to or disagreed to shall not 
        be in order. If a motion to proceed to the reconsideration of 
        the resolution is agreed to, the resolution shall remain the 
        unfinished business of the respective House until disposed of.
            (3) Limit on debate.--Debate on reconsideration of the 
        joint resolution, and on all debatable motions and appeals in 
        connection therewith, shall be limited to not more than 8 
        hours, which shall be divided equally between those favoring 
        and those opposing the joint resolution. A motion further to 
        limit debate is in order and not debatable. An amendment to, or 
        a motion to postpone, or a motion to proceed to the 
        consideration of other business is not in order. A motion to 
        reconsider the vote by which the joint resolution is agreed to 
        notwithstanding the objections of the President or disagreed to 
        is not in order.
            (4) Vote to override veto.--Immediately following the 
        conclusion of the debate on reconsideration of the resolution, 
        and a single quorum call at the conclusion of the debate if 
        requested in accordance with the rules of the appropriate 
        House, the vote on the question of passage, the objections of 
        the President to the contrary notwithstanding, shall occur.
    (j) Rules of the Senate and the House.--This section is enacted by 
Congress--
            (1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the Senate 
        and House of Representatives, respectively, and as such as it 
        is deemed a part of the rules of each House, respectively, but 
        applicable only with respect to the procedure to be followed in 
        that House in the case of a resolution described in subsection 
        (a), and it supersedes other rules only to the extent that it 
        is inconsistent with such rules; and
            (2) with full recognition of the constitutional right of 
        either House to change the rules (so far as relating to the 
        procedure of that House) at any time, in the same manner and to 
        the same extent as in the case of any other rule of that House.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Country sanction.--The term ``country sanction'' means 
        any prohibition or restriction that is expressly directed to or 
        is applied to, a specific foreign country or government--
                    (A) on the use of Federal funds with respect to the 
                foreign country or government; or
                    (B) on transactions involving property in which the 
                foreign country or government has any interest.
            (2) Mandated by statute.--The term ``mandated by 
        statute''--
                    (A) means any direction or requirement expressed in 
                statute; and
                    (B) excludes any provision of law conferring 
                discretion or authority upon an officer or employee of 
                the United States, including any authority to exercise 
                a waiver or delay in the implementation of a statutory 
                provision, except that this exclusion does not apply to 
                any provision of law containing a waiver that may only 
                be exercised on grounds more restrictive than a 
                determination that it is in the national interests of 
                the United States to do so.
            (3) Initial imposition.--The term ``initial imposition'' 
        means, with respect to a sanction or sanctions, the first 
        imposition of any sanction with respect to a specific 
        determination made under the statute mandating the sanction.
            (4) Sanctionable activity.--The term ``sanctionable 
        activity'' means the conduct of the foreign country or 
        government that is the basis for the imposition of a country 
        sanction mandated by statute.
            (5) Session day of congress.--The term ``session day of 
        Congress'' means any day on which the respective House of 
        Congress is in session.