III 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 238 

Expressing the determination of the Senate that the 60-calendar day period 

for congressional review of the nuclear agreement with Iran did not 

begin with the transmittal of the agreement on July 19, 2015, because 

that transmittal did not include all materials required to be transmitted 

pursuant to the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 30, 2015 

Mr. CRUZ submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the determination of the Senate that the 60- 

calendar day period for congressional review of the nuclear agreement with Iran did not begin with the transmittal of the agreement on July 19, 2015, because that 

transmittal did not include all materials required to be 

transmitted pursuant to the Iran Nuclear Agreement 

Review Act of 2015. 

Whereas section 135(a) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, 

as added by section 2 of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 (Public Law 114–17), states that ‘‘Not 

later than 5 calendar days after reaching an agreement 

with Iran relating to the nuclear program of Iran, the 

President shall transmit to the appropriate congressional 


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•SRES 238 IS 

committees and leadership . . . the agreement, as defined in subsection (h)(1), including all related materials 

and annexes;’’; 

Whereas, under section 135(h)(1) of such Act (as so added), 

the term ‘‘agreement’’ is defined as ‘‘an agreement related to the nuclear program of Iran that includes the 

United States, commits the United States to take action, 

or pursuant to which the United States commits or otherwise agrees to take action, regardless of the form it 

takes, whether a political commitment or otherwise, and 

regardless of whether it is legally binding or not, including any joint comprehensive plan of action entered into 

or made between Iran and any other parties, and any additional materials related thereto, including annexes, appendices, codicils, side agreements, implementing materials, documents, and guidance, technical or other understandings, and any related agreements, whether entered 

into or implemented prior to the agreement or to be entered into or implemented in the future.’’; 

Whereas section 135(b)(1) of such Act (as so added) states 

that ‘‘During the 30-calendar day period following transmittal by the President of an agreement pursuant to subsection (a), the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 

Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 

House of Representatives shall, as appropriate, hold 

hearings and briefings and otherwise obtain information 

in order to fully review such agreement.’’; 

Whereas section 135(b)(2) of such Act (as so added) states 

that ‘‘The period for congressional review under paragraph (1) shall be 60 calendar days if an agreement, including all materials required to be transmitted to Congress pursuant to subsection (a)(1), is transmitted pursuVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:36 Jul 31, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR238.IS SR238

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•SRES 238 IS 

ant to subsection (a) between July 10, 2015, and September 7, 2015.’’; 

Whereas section 135(b)(3) of such Act (as so added) states 

that ‘‘prior to and during the period for transmission of 

an agreement in subsection (a)(1) and during the period 

for congressional review provided in paragraph (1), including any additional period as applicable under the exception provided in paragraph (2), the President may not 

waive, suspend, reduce, provide relief from, or otherwise 

limit the application of statutory sanctions with respect 

to Iran under any provision of law or refrain from applying any such sanctions pursuant to an agreement described in subsection (a).’’; 

Whereas the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was agreed 

to on July 14, 2015, by the nations of China, France, 

Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany, the United 

States, and Iran; 

Whereas the Department of State asserted that it had transmitted to Congress the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, its annexes, and related materials on July 19, 2015; 

Whereas Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Congressman 

Mike Pompeo of Kansas were informed by officials from 

the International Atomic Energy Agency of additional 

side agreements with Iran that were not included in the 

Department of State’s transmission to Congress; 

Whereas guidance materials related to sanctions relief, sanctions interpretations, and licensing policy described in the 

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action were not included in 

the Department of State’s transmission to Congress; and 

Whereas the integrity of the proceedings of the Senate is 

compromised by the inability of the Senate and its comVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:36 Jul 31, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR238.IS SR238

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•SRES 238 IS 

mittees to carry out the review provided under section 

135(b)(3) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 because of 

the absence of all documents required to be transmitted 

under that section: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the determination of the Senate 

2 that— 

3 (1) for purposes of section 135(b)(2) of the 

4 Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as added by section 2 

5 of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 

6 (Public Law 114–17), the 60-calendar day period for 

7 congressional review of the agreement with Iran re8 lating to the nuclear program of Iran did not begin 

9 with the transmittal of the agreement on July 19, 

10 2015, because that transmittal did not include all 

11 materials required to be transmitted under the defi12 nition of the term ‘‘agreement’’ under section 

13 135(h)(1) of such Act (as so added), including spe14 cifically side agreements with Iran and United 

15 States Government-issued guidance materials in re16 lation to Iran; and 

17 (2) the 60-calendar day period for review of 

18 such agreement in the Senate cannot be considered 

19 to have begun until the Majority Leader certifies 

20 that all of the materials required to be transmitted 

21 under the definition of the term ‘‘agreement’’ under 

22 such Act, including any side agreements with Iran 


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1 and United States Government-issued guidance ma2 terials in relation to Iran, have been transmitted to 

3 the Majority Leader. 

Æ 


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