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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 454 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 454

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives relating to the 
exercise of presidential waiver authority of certain sanctions imposed 
                 against Iran under United States law.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 1, 2015

 Mr. Russell (for himself, Mr. Westerman, Mr. Franks of Arizona, Mrs. 
Black, Mr. Hurd of Texas, Mr. Rouzer, Mr. Meehan, Mr. Yoho, Mr. Graves 
   of Louisiana, Mrs. Brooks of Indiana, Mr. Hardy, Mr. Burgess, Mr. 
  DesJarlais, and Mr. Loudermilk) submitted the following resolution; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives relating to the 
exercise of presidential waiver authority of certain sanctions imposed 
                 against Iran under United States law.

Whereas the United States, through Acts of Congress, has imposed economic 
        sanctions against Iran, in an effort to change the Government of Iran's 
        support for acts of international terrorism, violation of human rights, 
        weapons and missile development and acquisition, export of arms and 
        terror promoting regional instability, and development of a nuclear 
        program;
Whereas Congress has passed several pieces of legislation relating to sanctions 
        against Iran, as well as other legislation under which sanctions against 
        Iran have been applied, including the International Security and 
        Development Cooperation Act of 1985, the Antiterrorism and Effective 
        Death Penalty Act of 1996, the International Emergency Economic Powers 
        Act, the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, the Trade Sanctions Reform and 
        Export Enhancement Act of 2000, the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, 
        Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010, the Iran Freedom and 
        Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012, the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria 
        Human Rights Act of 2012, section 1245 of the National Defense 
        Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, and the National Emergencies 
        Act;
Whereas Congress granted presidential waiver authority of certain sanctions in 
        these laws;
Whereas Congress provided such presidential waiver authority for extraordinary 
        circumstances conditional solely upon improvement of and elimination of 
        behaviors specifically cited in these laws;
Whereas the intent of Congress was not to provide any President with the means 
        to waive sanctions against Iran writ large;
Whereas Congress clearly provided such presidential waiver authority to change 
        the actions of the Government of Iran and to curb Iranian acts of 
        terror, Iranian acts of human rights violations, Iranian arms exports in 
        proxy wars of instability, and development of Iranian nuclear capacity;
Whereas Congress clearly did not authorize any President in the course of 
        implemented and active sanctions in the current or any subsequent 
        administration to use such presidential waiver authority, or a 
        multifaceted combination of waivers, to enter into a treaty relating to 
        Iran's nuclear program;
Whereas article I, section 8, of the Constitution clearly states that the power 
        to regulate commerce with foreign nations rests with Congress; and
Whereas article II, section 2, of the Constitution clearly states that the 
        President only has the power, by and with the advice and consent of the 
        Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present 
        concur: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) reaffirms that granting of presidential waiver 
        authority for certain sanctions against Iran by Congress was to 
        be used when specific behavioral improvements have been met by 
        Iran;
            (2) reaffirms its strong commitment to preventing the 
        possibility of a nuclear-armed Iran as the premise for such 
        sanctions and presidential waiver authority;
            (3) reaffirms its intent not to provide presidential waiver 
        authority for such sanctions for purposes of conducting 
        negotiations with Iran that do not result in the prevention of 
        a nuclear-armed Iran;
            (4) reaffirms that the President does not have the 
        authority as granted by Congress to change current law by 
        exercising presidential waiver authority for certain sanctions 
        on a general basis for purposes of entering into a treaty 
        relating to Iran's nuclear program; and
            (5) reaffirms that exercising presidential waiver authority 
        to grant relief from certain sanctions against Iran in an 
        effort to change the Government of Iran's support for acts of 
        international terrorism, violation of human rights, weapons and 
        missile development and acquisition, export of arms and terror 
        promoting regional instability, and development of a nuclear 
        program shall not be recognized by Congress.
                                 <all>
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