I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2993
To require congressional approval of unilateral United States agricultural
and medical sanctions and to provide for the termination of agricultural
and medical sanctions currently in effect.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OCTOBER 1, 1999
Mr. BERRY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on International Relations, and in addition to the Committee on Rules,
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 require congressional approval of unilateral United States
agricultural and medical sanctions and to provide for
the termination of agricultural and medical sanctions
currently in effect.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Food and Medicines
Sanctions Removal Act of 1999’’.
SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT OF CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL OF
ANY UNILATERAL AGRICULTURAL OR MED-
ICAL SANCTION.
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
(1) AGRICULTURAL
COMMODITY.—The term
‘‘agricultural commodity’’ has the meaning given the
term in section 402 of the Agricultural Trade Devel-
opment and Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C.
1732).
(2) AGRICULTURAL PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘ag-
ricultural program’’ means—
(A) any program administered under the
Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance
Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 1691 et. seq.);
(B) any program administered under sec-
tion 416 of the Agricultural Act of 1949 (7
U.S.C. 1431);
(C) any commercial sale of agricultural
commodities, including a commercial sale of an
agricultural commodity that is prohibited under
a unilateral agricultural sanction that is in ef-
fect on the date of enactment of this Act; or
(D) any export financing (including credits
or credit guarantees) for agricultural commod-
ities.
(3) JOINT RESOLUTION.—The term ‘‘joint reso-
lution’’ means—
(A) in the case of subsection (b)(1)(B),
only a joint resolution introduced within 10 ses-
sion days of Congress after the date on which
the report of the President under subsection
(b)(1)(A) is received by Congress, the matter
after the resolving clause of which is as follows:
‘‘That Congress approves the report of the
President pursuant to section 2(b)(1)(A) of the
Food and Medicines Sanctions Removal Act of
1999, transmitted on lllllll.’’, with
the blank completed with the appropriate date;
and
(B) in the case of subsection (e)(2), only a
joint resolution introduced within 10 session
days of Congress after the date on which the
report of the President under subsection (e)(1)
is received by Congress, the matter after the re-
solving clause of which is as follows: ‘‘That
Congress approves the report of the President
pursuant to section 2(e)(1) of the Food and
Medicines Sanctions Removal Act of 1999,
transmitted on lllllll.’’, with the
blank completed with the appropriate date.
(4) UNILATERAL AGRICULTURAL SANCTION.—
The term ‘‘unilateral agricultural sanction’’ means
any prohibition, restriction, or condition on carrying
out an agricultural program with respect to a for-
eign country or foreign entity that is imposed by the
United States for reasons of foreign policy or na-
tional security, except in a case in which the United
States imposes the measure pursuant to a multilat-
eral regime and the other member countries of that
regime have agreed to impose substantially equiva-
lent measures.
(5) UNILATERAL
MEDICAL
SANCTION.—The
term ‘‘unilateral medical sanction’’ means any prohi-
bition, restriction, or condition on exports of, or the
provision of assistance consisting of, medicine or a
medical device with respect to a foreign country or
foreign entity that is imposed by the United States
for reasons of foreign policy or national security, ex-
cept in a case in which the United States imposes
the measure pursuant to a multilateral regime and
the other member countries of that regime have
agreed to impose substantially equivalent measures.
(b) RESTRICTION.—
(1) NEW SANCTIONS.—Except as provided in
subsections (c) and (d) and notwithstanding any
other provision of law, the President may not impose
a unilateral agricultural sanction or unilateral med-
ical sanction against a foreign country or foreign en-
tity for any fiscal year, unless—
(A) not later than 60 days before the sanc-
tion is proposed to be imposed, the President
submits a report to Congress that—
(i) describes the activity proposed to
be prohibited, restricted, or conditioned;
and
(ii) describes the actions by the for-
eign country or foreign entity that justify
the sanction; and
(B) Congress enacts a joint resolution stat-
ing the approval of Congress for the report sub-
mitted under subparagraph (A).
(2) EXISTING SANCTIONS.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in
subparagraph (B), with respect to any unilat-
eral agricultural sanction or unilateral medical
sanction that is in effect as of the date of en-
actment of this Act for any fiscal year, the
President shall immediately cease to implement
such sanction.
(B) 
EXEMPTIONS.—Subparagraph 
(A)
shall not apply to a unilateral agricultural sanc-
tion or unilateral medical sanction imposed with
respect to an agricultural program or activity
described in subparagraph (B) or (D) of sub-
section (a)(2).
(c) EXCEPTIONS.—The President may impose (or
continue to impose) a sanction described in subsection (b)
without regard to the procedures required by that
subsection—
(1) against a foreign country or foreign entity
with respect to which Congress has enacted a dec-
laration of war that is in effect on or after the date
of enactment of this Act; or
(2) to the extent that the sanction would pro-
hibit, restrict, or condition the provision or use of
any agricultural commodity, medicine, or medical de-
vice that is—
(A) controlled on the United States Muni-
tions List;
(B) an item for which export controls are
administered by the Department of Commerce
for foreign policy or national security reasons;
or
(C) used to facilitate the development or
production of a chemical or biological weapon.
(d) COUNTRIES SUPPORTING INTERNATIONAL TER-
RORISM.—This section shall not affect the current prohibi-
tions on providing, to the government of any country sup-
porting international terrorism, United States government
assistance, including United States foreign assistance,
United States export assistance, or any United States
credits or credit guarantees.
(e) TERMINATION OF SANCTIONS.—Any unilateral
agricultural sanction or unilateral medical sanction that
is imposed pursuant to the procedures described in sub-
section (b)(1) shall terminate not later than 2 years after
the date on which the sanction became effective unless—
(1) not later than 60 days before the date of
termination of the sanction, the President submits to
Congress a report containing the recommendation of
the President for the continuation of the sanction
for an additional period of not to exceed 2 years and
the request of the President for approval by Con-
gress of the recommendation; and
(2) Congress enacts a joint resolution stating
the approval of Congress for the report submitted
under paragraph (1).
(f) CONGRESSIONAL PRIORITY PROCEDURES.—
(1) REFERRAL OF REPORT.—A report described
in subsection (b)(1)(A) or (e)(1) shall be referred to
the appropriate committee or committees of the
House of Representatives and to the appropriate
committee or committees of the Senate.
(2) REFERRAL OF JOINT RESOLUTION.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—A joint resolution shall
be referred to the committees in each House of
Congress with jurisdiction.
(B) REPORTING DATE.—A joint resolution
referred to in subparagraph (A) may not be re-
ported before the eighth session day of Con-
gress after the introduction of the joint resolu-
tion.
(3) DISCHARGE OF COMMITTEE.—If the com-
mittee to which is referred a joint resolution has not
reported the joint resolution (or an identical joint
resolution) at the end of 30 session days of Congress
after the date of introduction of the joint
resolution—
(A) the committee shall be discharged from
further consideration of the joint resolution;
and
(B) the joint resolution shall be placed on
the appropriate calendar of the House con-
cerned.
(4) FLOOR CONSIDERATION.—
(A) MOTION TO PROCEED.—
(i) IN
GENERAL.—When the com-
mittee to which a joint resolution is re-
ferred has reported, or when a committee
is discharged under paragraph (3) from
further 
consideration 
of, 
a 
joint
resolution—
(I) it shall be at any time there-
after in order (even though a previous
motion to the same effect has been
disagreed to) for any member of the
House concerned to move to proceed
to the consideration of the joint reso-
lution; and
(II) all points of order against
the joint resolution (and against con-
sideration of the joint resolution) are
waived.
(ii) PRIVILEGE.—The motion to pro-
ceed to the consideration of the joint
resolution—
(I) shall be highly privileged in
the House of Representatives and
privileged in the Senate; and
(II) not debatable.
(iii) AMENDMENTS AND MOTIONS NOT
IN ORDER.—The motion to proceed to the
consideration of the joint resolution shall
not be subject to—
(I) amendment;
(II) a motion to postpone; or
(III) a motion to proceed to the
consideration of other business.
(iv) MOTION TO RECONSIDER NOT IN
ORDER.—A motion to reconsider the vote
by which the motion is agreed to or dis-
agreed to shall not be in order.
(v) BUSINESS UNTIL DISPOSITION.—
If a motion to proceed to the consideration
of the joint resolution is agreed to, the
joint resolution shall remain the unfinished
business of the House concerned until dis-
posed of.
(B) LIMITATIONS ON DEBATE.—
(i) IN GENERAL.—Debate on the joint
resolution, and on all debatable motions
relating to the application of the rules of the
Senate or House of Representatives, as the case
may be, to the procedure relating to a joint res-
olution shall be decided without debate.
(5) COORDINATION
WITH
ACTION
BY
OTHER
HOUSE.—If, before the passage by 1 House of a
joint resolution of that House, that House receives
from the other House a joint resolution, the fol-
lowing procedures shall apply:
(A) NO COMMITTEE REFERRAL.—The joint
resolution of the other House shall not be re-
ferred to a committee.
(B) FLOOR PROCEDURE.—With respect to
a joint resolution of the House receiving the
joint resolution—
(i) the procedure in that House shall
be the same as if no joint resolution had
been received from the other House; but
(ii) the vote on final passage shall be
on the joint resolution of the other House.
(C) DISPOSITION OF JOINT RESOLUTIONS
OF RECEIVING HOUSE.—On disposition of the
joint resolution received from the other House,
it shall no longer be in order to consider the
joint resolution originated in the receiving
House.
(6) PROCEDURES AFTER ACTION BY BOTH THE
HOUSE AND SENATE.—If a House receives a joint
resolution from the other House after the receiving
House has disposed of a joint resolution originated
in that House, the action of the receiving House
with regard to the disposition of the joint resolution
originated in that House shall be deemed to be the
action of the receiving House with regard to the
joint resolution originated in the other House.
(7) RULEMAKING POWER.—This subsection is
enacted by Congress—
(A) as an exercise of the rulemaking power
of the Senate and House of Representatives, re-
spectively, and as such this subsection—
(i) is deemed to be 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
joint resolution; and
(ii) supersedes other rules only to the
extent that this subsection is inconsistent
with those rules; and
(B) with full recognition of the constitu-
tional right of either House to change the rules
(so far as the rules relate 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.
(g) GUIDELINES WITH RESPECT TO STATE SPON-
SORS
OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM.—(1) Notwith-
standing any other provision of the Act, the export of agri-
cultural commodities or medicine or medical devices to the
government of a country that has been determined by the
Secretary of State to have repeatedly provided support for
acts of international terrorism under section 620A of the
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2371) shall
only be made—
(A) pursuant to one year licenses issued by the
United States Government for contracts entered into
during that one year period and completed within a
twelve month period after the signing of the con-
tract; and
(B) without benefit of Federal financing, direct
export subsidies, Federal credit guarantees or other
Federal promotion assistance programs.
(2) Quarterly reports to the appropriate congres-
sional committees shall be submitted by the applicable
agency charged with issuing licenses in paragraph (1)(A).
(h) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section takes effect 180
days after the date of enactment of this Act.
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