I 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1460 

To commend the members of the United States Armed Forces on their 

performance and bravery in Iraq, to repeal the Authorization for Use 

of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution (Public Law 107–243), to 

require the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress a plan for 

the phased redeployment of United States Armed Forces from Iraq, 

to establish a Coordinator for Iraq Stabilization, and to place conditions 

on the obligation of funds to the Government of Iraq based on the 

achievement of benchmarks established by Iraq and the United States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 9, 2007 

Mrs. TAUSCHER (for herself, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms. HARMAN, Mr. 

DAVIS of Alabama, and Mr. CROWLEY) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition 

to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To commend the members of the United States Armed 

Forces on their performance and bravery in Iraq, to 

repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force 

Against Iraq Resolution (Public Law 107–243), to require the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress 

a plan for the phased redeployment of United States 

Armed Forces from Iraq, to establish a Coordinator for 

Iraq Stabilization, and to place conditions on the obligation of funds to the Government of Iraq based on the 


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achievement of benchmarks established by Iraq and the 

United States. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Change the Course 

5 in Iraq Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

7 It is the sense of Congress that— 

8 (1) members of the United States Armed 

9 Forces have shown great valor and courage in Iraq 

10 in the performance of their duties; and 

11 (2) the sacrifice of the members of the Armed 

12 Forces and the sacrifice of their families are recog13 nized and appreciated. 

14 SEC. 3. REPEAL OF PUBLIC LAW 107–243. 

15 The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against 

16 Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107–243) is hereby 

17 repealed. 

18 SEC. 4. REDEPLOYMENT OF UNITED STATES ARMED 

19 FORCES FROM IRAQ. 

20 (a) PLAN REQUIRED.—Not later than 60 days after 

21 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

22 Defense shall submit to the congressional defense commit23 tees a plan for the phased redeployment of United States 

24 Armed Forces from Iraq. 


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1 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The plan required by sub2 section (a) shall limit the presence of the Armed Forces 

3 in Iraq to the following missions: 

4 (1) Defeating Al-Qaeda and other foreign ter5 rorists. 

6 (2) Training Iraqi security forces. 

7 (3) Protecting United States forces. 

8 SEC. 5. DIPLOMATIC INITIATIVE FOR STABILITY IN IRAQ 

9 AND THE REGION. 

10 It is the sense of Congress that the United States 

11 should increase its diplomatic efforts with the Government 

12 of Iraq to help stabilize Iraq and the region. 

13 SEC. 6. COORDINATOR FOR IRAQ STABILIZATION. 

14 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 30 days after 

15 the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall 

16 appoint a Coordinator for Iraq Stabilization (hereinafter 

17 in this section referred to as the ‘‘Coordinator’’). 

18 (b) DUTIES.—The Coordinator shall have a robust 

19 mandate to develop and coordinate United States initia20 tives with respect to Iraq, and shall report regularly to 

21 the President and the Secretary of State. 

22 (c) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—In carrying out the du23 ties specified in subsection (b), Congress strongly urges 

24 the Coordinator to pursue efforts with the Government of 

25 Iraq to include the following: 


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1 (1) Supporting the unity and territorial integ2 rity of Iraq. 

3 (2) Preventing destabilizing actions and inter4 ventions by Iraq’s neighbors. 

5 (3) Securing Iraq’s borders, including the use 

6 of joint patrols with neighboring countries. 

7 (4) Preventing the expansion of the instability 

8 and conflict beyond Iraq’s borders. 

9 (5) Promoting economic assistance, commerce, 

10 trade, political support, and if possible, military as11 sistance for the Iraqi Government from non-neigh12 boring Muslim nations. 

13 (6) Energizing countries to support national po14 litical reconciliation in Iraq. 

15 (7) Validating Iraq’s legitimacy by resuming 

16 diplomatic relations, where appropriate, and reestab17 lishing embassies in Baghdad. 

18 (8) Assisting Iraq in establishing active working 

19 embassies in key capitals in the region. 

20 (9) Helping Iraq reach a mutually acceptable 

21 agreement on Kirkuk. 

22 (10) Assisting the Iraqi Government in achiev23 ing certain security, political, and economic mile24 stones, including national reconciliation, equitable 


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1 distribution of oil revenues, and the dismantling of 

2 militias. 

3 (11) Supporting the holding of a conference or 

4 meeting in Baghdad of the League of Arab League 

5 States or the Organization of the Islamic Conference 

6 both to assist the Iraqi Government in promoting 

7 national reconciliation in Iraq and to reestablish the 

8 diplomatic presence of such organizations in Iraq. 

9 (12) Creating an Iraq International Support 

10 Group consisting of all countries that border Iraq as 

11 well as other key countries in the region and the 

12 world. The five permanent members of the United 

13 Nations Security Council and the European Union 

14 should also be members. The Support Group should 

15 develop specific approaches to neighboring countries 

16 to take into account the interests, perspectives, and 

17 potential contributions such countries can make. 

18 SEC. 7. LIMITATION ON ASSISTANCE TO THE GOVERNMENT 

19 OF IRAQ. 

20 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find21 ings: 

22 (1) The Iraq Study Group Report advised, 

23 ‘‘Sustained increases in U.S. troop levels would not 

24 solve the fundamental cause of violence in Iraq, 

25 which is the absence of national reconciliation . . . 


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1 Past experience indicates that the violence would 

2 simply rekindle as soon as U.S. forces are moved.’’. 

3 (2) The goal of United States policy in Iraq, as 

4 stated by President George W. Bush, is an Iraq that 

5 can ‘‘govern itself, sustain itself, and defend itself’’. 

6 (3) In accordance with Recommendation 21 of 

7 the Iraq Study Group Report, if the Iraqi Govern8 ment does not make substantial progress toward the 

9 achievement of milestones on national reconciliation, 

10 security, and governance, the United States should 

11 reduce its political, military, or economic support for 

12 the Iraqi Government. There must be consequences 

13 if Iraq does not perform. 

14 (4) In a November 2006 Department of De15 fense report to Congress regarding the status of se16 curity in Iraq, 91 of 118 battalions, 30 of 36 bri17 gades, and six of ten divisions were in the lead when 

18 conducting operations, with the United States in 

19 supporting roles. The Iraqi Ground Forces Com20 mand had command and control of two of the ten 

21 Iraqi Army divisions and only two of Iraq’s 18 prov22 inces were in Provincial Iraqi Control, operating 

23 independently of Coalition forces. Thus, there is an 

24 urgent, near-term need for putting a time-table on 

25 when Iraqi forces need to be trained, equipped, and 


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1 in the lead of security operations, tied to conditional 

2 funding, which may give the Iraqi Government the 

3 incentive it needs to take control of its security. 

4 (5) The Iraq Study Group’s recommendations 

5 for Iraq’s goals for national reconciliation, security, 

6 and governance include— 

7 (A) the reintegration of Baathists and 

8 Arab nationalists into the government; 

9 (B) disarming, demobilizing, and reinte10 grating militia members into civilian society; 

11 (C) the accruing of oil revenues to the cen12 tral government to be shared on the basis of 

13 population; and 

14 (D) amending the Iraq Constitution. 

15 (6) The Iraq Study Group estimated the United 

16 States has appropriated $34 billion to support the 

17 reconstruction of Iraq, of which $21 billion has been 

18 appropriated for the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction 

19 Fund. 

20 (7) As part of the comprehensive strategy sup21 ported by the Iraq Study Group, the United States 

22 should embark on a ‘‘robust diplomatic effort to es23 tablish an international support structure intended 

24 to stabilize Iraq and ease tensions in other countries 

25 of the region’’. 


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1 (8) In his address to the Nation on the Iraq 

2 War on January 10, 2007, President Bush stated 

3 America would hold the Government of Iraq to the 

4 benchmarks it has announced—the Iraqi Govern5 ment plans to take responsibility for security in all 

6 of Iraq’s provinces by November 2007, Iraq will pass 

7 legislation to share oil revenues among all Iraqis, the 

8 Iraqi Government will spend $10 billion of its own 

9 money on reconstruction and infrastructure projects 

10 that will create new jobs, Iraqis plan to hold provin11 cial elections later in 2007, and the Iraqi Govern12 ment will reform de-Baathification laws and estab13 lish a fair process for considering amendments to 

14 the Iraq Constitution. 

15 (9) In the State of the Union Address on Janu16 ary 23, 2007, President Bush stated ‘‘Iraq’s leaders 

17 know that our commitment is not open-ended. They 

18 have promised to deploy more of their own troops to 

19 secure Baghdad, and they must do so. They have 

20 pledged that they will confront violent radicals of 

21 any faction or political party. And they need to fol22 low through and lift needless restrictions on Iraqi 

23 and coalition forces, so these troops can achieve 

24 their mission of bringing security to all of the people 

25 of Baghdad. Iraq’s leaders have committed themVerDate Aug 31 2005 16:59 Mar 11, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1460.IH H1460

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1 selves to a series of benchmarks to achieve reconcili2 ation—to share oil revenues among all of Iraq’s citi3 zens, to put the wealth of Iraq into the rebuilding 

4 of Iraq, to allow more Iraqis to re-enter their na5 tion’s civic life, to hold local elections, and to take 

6 responsibility for security in every Iraqi province.’’. 

7 (b) LIMITATION ON ASSISTANCE.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on December 31, 

9 2007, assistance described in paragraph (2) may be 

10 provided to the Government of Iraq only if the 

11 President certifies to the congressional defense com12 mittees that— 

13 (A) the Iraqi Government has approved 

14 laws to— 

15 (i) reintegrate Baathists and Arab na16 tionalists into the government; 

17 (ii) disarm, demobilize, and re18 integrate militia members into civilian soci19 ety; and 

20 (iii) provide for the accruing of oil 

21 revenues to the central government to be 

22 shared on the basis of population; 

23 (B) the Iraqi Government has amended the 

24 Iraq Constitution as appropriate to guarantee 

25 the rights of all Iraqi citizens; 


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1 (C) the Iraqi Government is making sig2 nificant progress to control its security forces, 

3 including significant progress to ensure that the 

4 security forces are able to take the lead in secu5 rity operations; and 

6 (D) each of Iraq’s provinces is under the 

7 control of provincial Iraqi governmental au8 thorities. 

9 (2) ASSISTANCE DESCRIBED.—Assistance re10 ferred to in paragraph (1) is assistance provided 

11 under any provision of law for the Iraqi security 

12 forces or for the relief and reconstruction of Iraq. 

13 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

14 As used in this Act: 

15 (1) ARMED FORCES.—The term ‘‘Armed 

16 Forces’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

17 101(a)(4) of title 10, United States Code. 

18 (2) CONGRESSIONAL DEFENSE COMMITTEES.— 

19 The term ‘‘congressional defense committees’’ 

20 means— 

21 (A) the Committee on Armed Services and 

22 the Committee on Appropriations of the House 

23 of Representatives; and 


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1 (B) the Committee on Armed Services and 

2 the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate. 

Æ 


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