Arms Sale Oversight Act
Bill: H.R.5798 | Sponsor: Rep. Lieu, Ted (D-CA)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Arms Sale Oversight Act
This bill revises House of Representatives procedures for considering joint resolutions related to weapons and defense services sales to foreign countries, export licenses for such weapons and services, and technical assistance or manufacturing agreements with foreign countries.
Currently, the President must provide certification supporting such an action, which can go forward unless Congress enacts a joint resolution opposing it. The bill provides for rules such as who may make a motion to discharge the resolution from committee and time limits on debate.

To modify the expedited procedures in the House of Representatives 
    under section 36 of the Arms Export Control Act with respect to 
   consideration of joint resolutions prohibiting proposed sales of 
defense articles or services, prohibiting proposed licenses for exports 
  of defense articles or services, and prohibiting approval of United 
   States commercial technical assistance or manufacturing licensing 
                              agreements.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Arms Sale Oversight Act''.

SEC. 2. MODIFICATION OF EXPEDITED PROCEDURES IN THE HOUSE OF 
              REPRESENTATIVES UNDER SECTION 36 OF THE ARMS EXPORT 
              CONTROL ACT.

    (a) In General.--Section 36 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 
U.S.C. 2776) is amended as follows:
            (1) In subsection (b), by amending paragraph (3) to read as 
        follows:
    ``(3) Any such joint resolution shall be considered in the House of 
Representatives in accordance with the following:
            ``(A)(i) If the committee to which a joint resolution with 
        respect to a proposed sale has been referred has not reported 
        it at the end of 10 calendar days after its referral, it shall 
        be in order to move either to discharge the committee from 
        further consideration of such resolution or to discharge the 
        committee from further consideration of any other resolution 
        with respect to such proposed sale which has been referred to 
        the committee.
            ``(ii) A motion to discharge may be made only by an 
        individual favoring the resolution, shall be highly privileged 
        (except that it may not be made after the committee has 
        reported a resolution with respect to the same proposed sale), 
        and debate thereon shall be limited to not more than one hour, 
        to be divided equally between those favoring and those opposing 
        the resolution. An amendment to the motion shall not be in 
        order, and it shall not be in order to move to reconsider the 
        vote by which the motion was agreed to or disagreed to.
            ``(iii) If the motion to discharge is agreed to or 
        disagreed to, the motion may not be renewed, nor may another 
        motion to discharge the committee be made with respect to any 
        other resolution with respect to the same proposed sale.
            ``(B)(i) When the committee has reported, or has been 
        discharged from further consideration of, a resolution, it 
        shall be at any time thereafter in order (even though a 
        previous motion to the same effect has been disagreed to) to 
        move to proceed to the consideration of the resolution. The 
        motion shall be highly privileged and shall not be debatable. 
        An amendment to the motion shall not be in order, and it shall 
        not be in order to move to reconsider the vote by which the 
        motion was agreed to or disagreed to.
            ``(ii) Debate on the resolution referred to in clause (i) 
        of this subparagraph shall be limited to not more than 10 
        hours, which shall be divided equally between those favoring 
        and those opposing such resolution. A motion further to limit 
        debate shall not be debatable. An amendment to, or motion to 
        recommit, the resolution shall not be in order, and it shall 
        not be in order to move to reconsider the vote by which such 
        resolution was agreed to or disagreed to.
            ``(C)(i) Motions to postpone, made with respect to the 
        discharge from committee, or the consideration of a resolution 
        and motions to proceed to the consideration of other business, 
        shall be decided without debate.
            ``(ii) Appeals from the decision of the Chair relating to 
        the application of the rules of the House of Representatives to 
        the procedure relating to a resolution shall be decided without 
        debate.
            ``(D) Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
        paragraph, if the House of Representatives has approved a 
        resolution with respect to a proposed sale, then it shall not 
        be in order to consider in the House of Representatives any 
        other resolution with respect to the same such sale.''.
            (2) In each of subsections (c)(3)(B) and (d)(5)(B) by 
        striking ``For the purpose'' and all that follows through 
        ``House of Representatives'' and inserting ``Any such joint 
        resolution shall be considered in the House of Representatives 
        in accordance with the provisions of subsection (b)(3) of this 
        section.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) take 
effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and apply with respect 
to any joint resolution described in subsection (b)(3), (c)(3)(B), or 
(d)(5)(B) of section 36 of the Arms Export Control Act that is 
introduced in the House of Representatives or the Senate, as the case 
may be, on or after such date of enactment.
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