Preserving Arms Control Treaties (PACT) Act of 2019

Bill: 116-s-705
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]
Introduced: 2019-03-07
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Alliances

Arms control and nonproliferation

Collective security

Congressional oversight

Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad

Europe

International law and treaties

Nuclear weapons

Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents

Russia
Latest action: action_date: 2019-03-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-03-07
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Preserving Arms Control Treaties (PACT) Act of 2019</b></p> <p>This bill prohibits the use of funds to take any action that would violate the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) during the six-month withdrawal period that&nbsp;started after the United States provided notice of its intention to withdraw from the treaty on February 2, 2019. </p> <p>During the six-month period, the Department of State shall periodically report to Congress on (1) U.S. efforts to bring Russia into compliance with the INF Treaty during the withdrawal period, (2) the status of the development of various Russian missile systems that would fall under the INF Treaty, and (3) the status of negotiations of the new arms control proposal the President referenced in his State of the Union Address on February 5, 2019.</p>

tv_txt: II 116th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 705 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 7, 2019 Mr. Van Hollen (for himself, Ms. Warren , Mr. Markey , Mr. Sanders , Ms. Klobuchar , Ms. Smith , and Ms. Harris ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations A BILL To prohibit the use of funds to take any action that would constitute a violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty for the duration of the six-month withdrawal period from the INF Treaty, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Preserving Arms Control Treaties (PACT) Act of 2019 . 2. Prohibition on use of funds to take actions that would constitute violations of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty during the six-month withdrawal period from the Treaty Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no funds may be obligated or expended to take any action that would constitute a violation of the INF Treaty for the duration of the six-month withdrawal period under the Treaty, effective as of February 2, 2019. 3. Report on INF Treaty withdrawal (a) In general Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 30 days thereafter during the six-month withdrawal period described in section (2), the Secretary of State, in concurrence with the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence, shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that includes the following elements: (1) A description of diplomatic, economic, and INF-compliant military measures that the United States has undertaken in order to bring the Russian Federation back into compliance during the six-month withdrawal period, including consultations with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies. (2) A description of the status of the development of the Russian Federation’s GLCM (SSC–8) and any other INF-range systems, their capabilities, current deployment levels, and the threat they may pose to the United States European and Asian allies and assets in the region. (3) A formal, detailed description of the arms control proposal that the President referenced in his State of the Union Address on February 5, 2019, and the status of any offer to convene the party or parties therein referenced to negotiate the terms of a new agreement. (b) Form of report The report required under subsection (a) shall be unclassified with a classified annex if necessary. 4. Definitions In this Act: (1) Appropriate committees of Congress the term appropriate committees of Congress means— (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. (2) INF Treaty The term INF Treaty means the Treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles, together with the Memorandum of Understanding and Two Protocols, signed at Washington December 8, 1987, and entered into force June 1, 1988.