Procedures for Congressional Action in
Relation to a Nuclear Agreement with Iran: In
Brief

Valerie Heitshusen
Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process
Richard S. Beth
Specialist on Congress and the Legislative Process
June 23, 2015
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
R44085


Congressional Procedures in Relation to a Nuclear Agreement with Iran

Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1
Period for Congressional Review of an Agreement .................................................................. 1
Legislation to Reinstate Waived Sanctions ................................................................................ 3

Contacts
Author Contact Information............................................................................................................. 4
Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................... 4

Congressional Research Service

Congressional Procedures in Relation to a Nuclear Agreement with Iran


Introduction
An April 2015 framework for negotiations on a comprehensive nuclear agreement with Iran
suggests that a final agreement that results in the easing of many existing sanctions on Iran might
be reached. Amid concerns among some in Congress about the terms of the possible agreement,
Congress passed, and the President signed, the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 (P.L.
114-17).1 The act establishes a period for Congress to review any comprehensive agreement,
during which certain presidential actions to provide relief from sanctions on Iran are barred. It
also provides for congressional action during this period that could prevent (or allow) such relief.
After this review period, further, the act requires the President to make certain certifications of
Iran’s compliance with the agreement, and if these certifications are not made, it establishes
expedited congressional procedures for legislation that could reinstate sanctions waived by the
President.
This report provides, in brief, analysis of the congressional procedural provisions laid out in P.L.
114-17. Only provisions relating to congressional actions are covered in this report.2 CRS Report
RS20871, Iran Sanctions, by Kenneth Katzman, provides analysis and context on the issue of
Iran sanctions.3
P.L. 114-17 includes language commonly found in congressional rulemaking statutes confirming
that the congressional procedures established therein are “an exercise of the rulemaking power”
of the respective chambers and that each chamber retains the constitutional right to change or
override these rules in the same way as with its existing rules.
Period for Congressional Review of an Agreement
The statute provides that in relation to an agreement with Iran regarding its nuclear program:
• Not later than five calendar days after reaching an agreement,4 the President
is to transmit specified materials5 and certifications to (1) the Senate
Committees on Finance; Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Intelligence;
and Foreign Relations; (2) the House Committees on Ways and Means;
Financial Services; Intelligence; and Foreign Affairs; and (3) the majority

1 See H.R. 1191, 114th Congress. The statute amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.).
2 For example, the statute also requires the President to report every 180 days on Iran’s nuclear program and
compliance with the agreement, but these reports trigger no congressional procedures. See CRS Report RS20871, Iran
Sanctions
, by Kenneth Katzman, for discussion of the criteria these reports would address.
3 Other CRS resources on the general issue of a nuclear agreement with Iran include CRS Report WSLG1197, Does a
Nuclear Agreement with Iran Require Congressional Approval?
, by Michael John Garcia, and CRS Report R43333,
Iran: Efforts to Achieve a Nuclear Accord, by Kenneth Katzman, Paul K. Kerr, and Michael John Garcia.
4 The statute defines such an agreement as one “related to the nuclear program of Iran” that includes the United States
and commits it to action, regardless of form and whether or not it is legally binding.
5 The specified materials include the agreement and related materials and annexes, a verification assessment report
from the Secretary of State, and certain other certifications in relation to U.S. interests.
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Congressional Procedures in Relation to a Nuclear Agreement with Iran

and minority leaders of the Senate and the Speaker and majority and
minority leaders of the House.6
• Following transmittal, Congress would have a review period of 30 calendar
days, unless the materials are transmitted between July 10 and September 7,
2015, in which case the review period is 60 calendar days. The 60-day
period appears intended to ensure adequate opportunity for Congress to act
if a 30-day period would overlap with the August congressional recess.
Agreements transmitted after September 7, 2015, would be subject to the
30-day review period.
• During the review period, the President is precluded from using waiver
authority to provide additional sanction relief to Iran beyond that already
provided under an interim nuclear agreement with Iran (“Joint Plan of
Action” or JPA).7
• During the review period, Congress may agree to a joint resolution of
disapproval stating that Congress “does not favor the agreement.” The
statute does not provide any special procedural mechanisms for
consideration of such a resolution; it would be subject to regular procedures
in each chamber8 and would also be subject to presidential veto.
• If Congress agrees to a disapproval resolution, the review period is extended
12 calendar days following the date of passage (roughly covering the period
in which the President may issue a veto). If the President vetoes the
disapproval resolution, the review period extends for 10 calendar days
beyond the veto date (presumably to allow Congress time to take actions to
override the veto).9
• If a joint resolution of disapproval were to be enacted (potentially requiring
an override of a presidential veto in both chambers), any sanctions relief for
Iran would cease (including any provided by the President under JPA waiver
authority). The resolution would not invalidate the agreement itself but
would affect only the possibility of presidential sanctions relief to Iran;
nevertheless, precluding the President from providing such relief would
almost certainly result in a dissolution of the agreement by Iran.
• Alternatively, Congress could agree to a joint resolution of approval during
the review period, which would, upon enactment, allow the President to
waive sanctions, apparently even if the review period had not yet elapsed.

6 Other provisions of the statute seem to imply that this transmission is to be considered transmission to Congress.
7 The JPA—which has been in effect since January 2014 and was extended until June 30, 2015—is an interim nuclear
agreement reached among the U.S., Iran, and five other countries providing some sanctions relief. See CRS Report
RS20871, Iran Sanctions, by Kenneth Katzman, for more detail and additional context.
8 Senate rules place no general time limit on consideration of most questions, so that a cloture process (with the support
of three-fifths of the Senate) may be required to reach a (majority) vote thereon. Thus, invoking cloture (requiring
three-fifths of the Senate) may be necessary to proceed to a joint resolution and may also be necessary to reach a vote
on the resolution. However, only a majority vote is needed to adopt the motion to consider itself and also the resolution.
9 All 12 days of the extension period that occurs upon passage of a disapproval resolution would not necessarily elapse
if the President took action prior to its expiration. For example, if he were to veto the resolution on day 2, then the 10-
day period for a congressional override attempt would begin following the veto, not after the expiration of the 12-day
period.
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Congressional Procedures in Relation to a Nuclear Agreement with Iran

• If Congress does not agree to any resolution approving or disapproving the
agreement, the President may waive sanctions after the (30- or 60-day)
review period has expired.
Legislation to Reinstate Waived Sanctions
In addition, the statute provides that in the absence of certain certifications of Iran compliance
after congressional review, legislation that would reinstate sanctions waived by the President may
be considered pursuant to specified expedited congressional procedures. Specifically:
• For each 90-day period after the congressional review period described
above, the President must certify certain elements of compliance with the
agreement10 by Iran and submit such certification to the specified
congressional committees and leadership (listed above).
• If such a certification of compliance is not submitted during each 90-day
period, or if the President submits a determination that Iran is in material
breach of the agreement (and such breach has not been cured), then
“qualifying” legislation to re-impose waived sanctions, if introduced11
within 60 calendar days thereafter, is entitled to certain expedited
congressional procedures.12
• Any committees13 to which the qualifying legislation is referred would be
automatically discharged if they had not reported within 10 legislative days
(House) or 10 session days (Senate) after the date of referral.
• The statute provides procedures by which a numerical majority in each
chamber could effectively vote to take up the legislation without debate.
Consequently, in the Senate, the motion to proceed to the qualifying
legislation would be non-debatable, such that a numerical majority could
take up the measure with no need for a cloture process (and supermajority
vote threshold) to reach a vote.14
• House consideration of the measure, which might be initiated beginning on
the third day after it is reported or discharged from committee, would be
limited to two hours of debate.15 Senate consideration would be limited to

10 The criteria for assessing compliance are stated in the statute and relate to transparency/verifiability, material breach
and potential cures to a breach, covert activities to advance its nuclear weapons program, and the appropriateness of
any sanctions relief provided pursuant to the agreement.
11 The statute states that the qualifying legislation “may be introduced” in the House by the majority or minority leader
and, in the Senate, by either floor leader or their designees.
12 The statute specifies the title (“A bill reinstating statutory sanctions imposed with respect to Iran”) and language that
any qualifying bill must have.
13 The statute specifies the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations as the relevant committee; multiple (unspecified)
House committees could potentially receive referral.
14 Once taken up, the resolution would remain the unfinished business until disposed of; in other words, the Senate
could effectively not proceed to any other business during the period, except by unanimous consent.
15 The statute provides that if the House votes on one such motion to proceed on a qualifying bill, it may vote on no
other such motion “with regard to the same agreement.” This provision seems designed to prevent the House from
having to vote against serial motions made in relation to the same bill. If a different breach submitted by the President
were to give rise to a different qualifying bill later, it is unclear that this provision would permit the House to move to
(continued...)
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Congressional Procedures in Relation to a Nuclear Agreement with Iran

10 hours, such that a numerical majority could adopt its measure without the
need for a cloture process and the associated supermajority vote threshold.16
Provisions in the statute explicitly or effectively preclude the consideration
of amendments to the measure.17
• If one chamber receives the other chamber’s qualifying legislation prior to
passage of its own measure, the other chamber’s measure is not referred to
committee, and the vote on final passage is on the other chamber’s measure.
If one chamber has had no qualifying measure introduced in that chamber,
then the measure received from the other chamber is entitled to the
expedited floor procedures. In any event, if the qualifying legislation is a
revenue measure, these automatic “hook-up” provisions do not apply to a
Senate measure received in the House.18
• This legislation would be subject to presidential veto. Consideration of the
veto message in the Senate would be limited to 10 hours. Consequently, in
the Senate, reaching a vote on the veto override would not require a cloture
process and the associated three-fifths vote threshold. Successful override of
the veto would require the support in each chamber of two-thirds of voting
Members (a quorum being present).

Author Contact Information

Valerie Heitshusen
Richard S. Beth
Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process
Specialist on Congress and the Legislative Process
vheitshusen@crs.loc.gov, 7-8635
rbeth@crs.loc.gov, 7-8667


Acknowledgments
The authors thank CRS colleagues Christopher M. Davis, Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process,
and Kenneth Katzman, Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs, for helpful feedback.

(...continued)
consider the bill under the privileged procedures.
16 The Senate could agree to a non-debatable motion to further limit debate.
17 In the Senate, amendments to the measure are explicitly prohibited. Provisions that the previous question be
considered as ordered in the House would preclude amendments during its floor consideration.
18 Instead, if the Senate receives a qualifying measure from the House after passing its own, the House measure is not
subject to debate and could be adopted by a numerical majority (though that statute does seem to specifically provide
that the motion to proceed to that measure would be non-debatable). This mechanism ensures compliance with the
constitutional requirement that revenue measures originate in the House of Representatives.
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