House Concurrent Resolution 362

[Subdivisions]

Introduced on May 22, 2008, House Concurrent Resolution 362 has 169 co-sponsors, including 77 Democrats and 92 Republicans. HCR 362 expresses the sense of Congress regarding the threat posed to international peace, stability in the Middle East, and the vital national security interests of the United States by Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons and regional hegemony, and for other purposes.

The gist of the resolution is to create an international blockade of Iran to prevent it from importing the refined gasoline it needs to run its economy, inspect all cargo in and out of Iran, increase economic sanctions, and restricting the movement of Iranian officials, especially officials involved with making the case to the rest of the world that Iran suspended its nuclear weapons research several years ago.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.CON.RES.362:

Sponsor: Rep Ackerman, Gary L. (introduced 5/22/2008) Cosponsors (169)
Related Bills: S.RES.580
Latest Major Action: 5/22/2008 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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COSPONSORS(169)

Rep Alexander, Rodney - 6/11/2008
Rep Allen, Thomas H. - 6/11/2008
Rep Arcuri, Michael A. - 6/17/2008
Rep Baca, Joe - 6/3/2008
Rep Bartlett, Roscoe G. - 6/4/2008
Rep Berkley, Shelley - 6/4/2008
Rep Bilbray, Brian P. - 6/4/2008
Rep Bilirakis, Gus M. - 6/10/2008
Rep Bishop, Rob - 6/17/2008
Rep Blackburn, Marsha - 6/4/2008
Rep Bonner, Jo - 6/10/2008
Rep Boren, Dan - 6/10/2008
Rep Boyd, Allen - 6/17/2008
Rep Brady, Robert A. - 6/3/2008
Rep Broun, Paul C. - 6/4/2008
Rep Brown, Corrine - 6/4/2008
Rep Brown-Waite, Ginny - 6/10/2008
Rep Burgess, Michael C. - 6/4/2008
Rep Burton, Dan - 6/3/2008
Rep Camp, Dave - 6/4/2008
Rep Campbell, John - 6/4/2008
Rep Cannon, Chris - 6/10/2008
Rep Cantor, Eric - 6/3/2008
Rep Carney, Christopher P. - 6/10/2008
Rep Cazayoux, Donald J., Jr. - 6/12/2008
Rep Chabot, Steve - 6/4/2008
Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy - 6/17/2008
Rep Cleaver, Emanuel - 6/5/2008
Rep Coble, Howard - 6/12/2008
Rep Cohen, Steve - 6/10/2008
Rep Conaway, K. Michael - 6/10/2008
Rep Costa, Jim - 6/3/2008
Rep Costello, Jerry F. - 6/17/2008
Rep Courtney, Joe - 6/17/2008
Rep Crowley, Joseph - 6/3/2008
Rep Cuellar, Henry - 6/5/2008
Rep Culberson, John Abney - 6/12/2008
Rep Davis, Danny K. - 6/3/2008
Rep Davis, David - 6/10/2008
Rep Davis, Lincoln - 6/17/2008
Rep Dicks, Norman D. - 6/10/2008
Rep Doyle, Michael F. - 6/17/2008
Rep Drake, Thelma D. - 6/17/2008
Rep Dreier, David - 6/10/2008
Rep Emanuel, Rahm - 6/17/2008
Rep Engel, Eliot L. - 6/3/2008
Rep Fallin, Mary - 6/17/2008
Rep Feeney, Tom - 6/17/2008
Rep Ferguson, Mike - 6/4/2008
Rep Fortenberry, Jeff - 6/11/2008
Rep Fortuno, Luis G. - 6/3/2008
Rep Foxx, Virginia - 6/5/2008
Rep Frank, Barney - 6/3/2008
Rep Frelinghuysen, Rodney P. - 6/4/2008
Rep Gerlach, Jim - 6/5/2008
Rep Gohmert, Louie - 6/4/2008
Rep Gonzalez, Charles A. - 6/10/2008
Rep Goode, Virgil H., Jr. - 6/4/2008
Rep Gordon, Bart - 6/12/2008
Rep Granger, Kay - 6/12/2008
Rep Graves, Sam - 6/4/2008
Rep Green, Al - 6/10/2008
Rep Green, Gene - 6/4/2008
Rep Hare, Phil - 6/5/2008
Rep Harman, Jane - 6/11/2008
Rep Hastings, Alcee L. - 6/4/2008
Rep Hayes, Robin - 6/4/2008
Rep Heller, Dean - 6/17/2008
Rep Hensarling, Jeb - 6/4/2008
Rep Hoekstra, Peter - 6/11/2008
Rep Holden, Tim - 6/4/2008
Rep Hoyer, Steny H. - 6/4/2008
Rep Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. - 6/17/2008
Rep Johnson, Eddie Bernice - 6/17/2008
Rep Johnson, Sam - 6/10/2008
Rep Jones, Stephanie Tubbs - 6/4/2008
Rep Jordan, Jim - 6/17/2008
Rep Kagen, Steve - 6/12/2008
Rep Kennedy, Patrick J. - 6/12/2008
Rep King, Peter T. - 6/17/2008
Rep Kirk, Mark Steven - 6/3/2008
Rep Klein, Ron - 6/3/2008
Rep Knollenberg, Joe - 6/3/2008
Rep Kuhl, John R. "Randy", Jr. - 6/12/2008
Rep Lamborn, Doug - 6/10/2008
Rep Lampson, Nick - 6/10/2008
Rep Langevin, James R. - 6/10/2008
Rep LaTourette, Steven C. - 6/4/2008
Rep Lewis, John - 6/17/2008
Rep Lipinski, Daniel - 6/12/2008
Rep LoBiondo, Frank A. - 6/4/2008
Rep Lowey, Nita M. - 6/4/2008
Rep Lucas, Frank D. - 6/10/2008
Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. - 6/3/2008
Rep Manzullo, Donald A. - 6/4/2008
Rep Marchant, Kenny - 6/5/2008
Rep Marshall, Jim - 6/4/2008
Rep Matheson, Jim - 6/10/2008
Rep McCarthy, Carolyn - 6/4/2008
Rep McCaul, Michael T. - 6/4/2008
Rep McCotter, Thaddeus G. - 6/10/2008
Rep McHugh, John M. - 6/4/2008
Rep McNulty, Michael R. - 6/4/2008
Rep Meek, Kendrick B. - 6/10/2008
Rep Michaud, Michael H. - 6/10/2008
Rep Miller, Brad - 6/10/2008
Rep Miller, Candice S. - 6/10/2008
Rep Miller, Gary G. - 6/10/2008
Rep Mitchell, Harry E. - 6/5/2008
Rep Moran, Jerry - 6/3/2008
Rep Murphy, Tim - 6/17/2008
Rep Musgrave, Marilyn N. - 6/4/2008
Rep Pastor, Ed - 6/4/2008
Rep Pence, Mike - 5/22/2008
Rep Platts, Todd Russell - 6/4/2008
Rep Poe, Ted - 6/4/2008
Rep Porter, Jon C. - 6/4/2008
Rep Price, Tom - 6/10/2008
Rep Radanovich, George - 6/10/2008
Rep Ramstad, Jim - 6/10/2008
Rep Reichert, David G. - 6/10/2008
Rep Renzi, Rick - 6/4/2008
Rep Reynolds, Thomas M. - 6/10/2008
Rep Rodriguez, Ciro D. - 6/4/2008
Rep Rogers, Mike D. - 6/3/2008
Rep Rogers, Mike J. - 6/12/2008
Rep Rohrabacher, Dana - 6/4/2008
Rep Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana - 6/4/2008
Rep Roskam, Peter J. - 6/5/2008
Rep Rothman, Steven R. - 6/4/2008
Rep Royce, Edward R. - 6/3/2008
Rep Ryan, Tim - 6/10/2008
Rep Saxton, Jim - 6/5/2008
Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. - 6/17/2008
Rep Schiff, Adam B. - 6/4/2008
Rep Schwartz, Allyson Y. - 6/5/2008
Rep Scott, David - 6/3/2008
Rep Sessions, Pete - 6/4/2008
Rep Sestak, Joe - 6/10/2008
Rep Shadegg, John B. - 6/4/2008
Rep Shays, Christopher - 6/3/2008
Rep Sherman, Brad - 6/5/2008
Rep Shuler, Heath - 6/5/2008
Rep Shuster, Bill - 6/4/2008
Rep Sires, Albio - 6/12/2008
Rep Smith, Adam - 6/11/2008
Rep Smith, Adrian - 6/10/2008
Rep Smith, Christopher H. - 6/10/2008
Rep Souder, Mark E. - 6/17/2008
Rep Stearns, Cliff - 6/4/2008
Rep Sullivan, John - 6/4/2008
Rep Sutton, Betty - 6/5/2008
Rep Tancredo, Thomas G. - 6/4/2008
Rep Terry, Lee - 6/4/2008
Rep Thompson, Bennie G. - 6/17/2008
Rep Tiberi, Patrick J. - 6/4/2008
Rep Towns, Edolphus - 6/3/2008
Rep Udall, Mark - 6/4/2008
Rep Visclosky, Peter J. - 6/4/2008
Rep Walberg, Timothy - 6/11/2008
Rep Wamp, Zach - 6/4/2008
Rep Wasserman Schultz, Debbie - 6/3/2008
Rep Waxman, Henry A. - 6/3/2008
Rep Weiner, Anthony D. - 6/17/2008
Rep Westmoreland, Lynn A. - 6/10/2008
Rep Wexler, Robert - 6/3/2008
Rep Wilson, Charles A. - 6/12/2008
Rep Wilson, Joe - 6/4/2008
Rep Wittman, Robert J. - 6/10/2008


IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 22, 2008
Mr. ACKERMAN (for himself and Mr. PENCE) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs


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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the threat posed to international peace, stability in the Middle East, and the vital national security interests of the United States by Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons and regional hegemony, and for other purposes.

Whereas Iran is a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), has foresworn the acquisition of nuclear weapons by ratification of the NPT, and is legally bound to declare and place all its nuclear activity under constant monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA);

Whereas for nearly 20 years, in clear contravention of its explicit obligations under the NPT, Iran operated a covert nuclear program until it was revealed by an Iranian opposition group in 2002;

Whereas the IAEA has confirmed such illicit covert nuclear activities as the importation of uranium hexafluoride, construction of a uranium enrichment facility, experimentation with plutonium, importation of centrifuge technology, construction of centrifuges, and importation of designs to convert highly enriched uranium gas into metal and shape it into the core of a nuclear weapon;

Whereas Iran continues to expand the number of centrifuges at its enrichment facility, as made evident by its announced intention to begin installation of 6,000 advanced centrifuges to enrich uranium, in defiance of binding United Nations Security Council resolutions demanding Iran suspend enrichment activities;

Whereas the November 2007 National Intelligence Estimate reported that Iran was secretly working on the design and manufacture of a nuclear warhead until at least 2003, but that Iran could have enough highly enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon as soon as late 2009;

Whereas an Iranian nuclear weapons capability would pose a grave threat to international peace and security by fundamentally altering and destabilizing the strategic balance in the Middle East, and severely undermining the global nonproliferation regime;

Whereas Iran's overt sponsorship of several terrorist groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah, and its close ties to Syria raise the possibility that Iran would share its nuclear materials and technology with others;

Whereas Iran continues to develop ballistic missile technology and is pursuing the capability to field intercontinental ballistic missiles, a delivery system suited almost exclusively to nuclear weapons payloads;

Whereas Iranian leaders have repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel, a major non-North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally, and a member of the United Nations;

Whereas the United States, Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany have offered, and continue to offer, to negotiate a significant package of economic, diplomatic, and security incentives if Iran complies with the United Nations Security Council's resolutions demanding that Iran suspend uranium enrichment;

Whereas Iran has consistently refused such offers;

Whereas as a result of Iran's failure to comply with the mandates of the United Nations Security Council, taken under Chapter VII of the United Nations' Charter, the international community has imposed limited sanctions over the past 2 years that have begun to have an impact on the Iranian economy;

Whereas Iran's rapid development of its nuclear capabilities is outpacing the slow ratcheting up of economic and diplomatic sanctions;

Whereas Iran has used its banking system, including the Central Bank of Iran, to support its proliferation efforts and its assistance to terrorist groups, leading the Department of Treasury to designate 4 large Iranian banks proliferators and supporters of terrorism;

Whereas Iran's support for Hezbollah has enabled that group to wage war against the Government and people of Lebanon, leading to its political domination of that country;

Whereas Iran's support for Hamas has enabled it to illegally seize control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority, and to continuously bombard Israeli civilians with rockets and mortars;

Whereas Iran continues to provide training, weapons, and financial assistance to Shi'a militants inside of Iraq and antigovernment warlords in Afghanistan;

Whereas those Shi'a militant groups and Afghan warlords use Iranian training, weapons, and financing to attack American and allied forces trying to support the legitimate Governments of Iraq and Afghanistan;

Whereas Iran is further destabilizing the Middle East by underwriting a massive rearmament campaign by Syria;

Whereas through these efforts, Iran seeks to establish regional hegemony, threatens longstanding friends and allies of the United States in the Middle East, and endangers vital American national security interests; and

Whereas nothing in this resolution shall be construed as an authorization of the use of force against Iran: Now, therefore, be it


Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress--

(1) declares that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability, through all appropriate economic, political, and diplomatic means, is vital to the national security interests of the United States and must be dealt with urgently;

(2) urges the President, in the strongest of terms, to immediately use his existing authority to impose sanctions on--

(A) the Central Bank of Iran and any other Iranian bank engaged in proliferation activities or the support of terrorist groups;

(B) international banks which continue to conduct financial transactions with proscribed Iranian banks;

(C) energy companies that have invested $20,000,000 or more in the Iranian petroleum or natural gas sector in any given year since the enactment of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996; and

(D) all companies which continue to do business with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps;

(3) demands that the President initiate an international effort to immediately and dramatically increase the economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran to verifiably suspend its nuclear enrichment activities by, inter alia, prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran; and prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran's nuclear program; and

(4) urges the President to lead a sustained, serious, and forceful effort at regional diplomacy to support the legitimate governments in the region against Iranian efforts to destabilize them, to reassure our friends and allies that the United States supports them in their resistance to Iranian efforts at hegemony, and to make clear to the Government of Iran that the United States will protect America's vital national security interests in the Middle East.

Sounds like this would allow for the end of any negotiations with or discussions of war with Iran.

How do you guys read this?

[angrycarpenter]

1. That is what will be signed if McCain wins

If Obama wins they will bomb them, dump it in his lap and say "deal with that sport".

[TreasonousBastard]

2. I smell AIPAC, or why would...

Barney Frank, Nita Lowey, and a few others not known for overt warmongering sign on to this? Iran can't really do shit to us, but Israel is, or will shortly be, within its reach.

But, although protecting Israel from attack is a worthy goal, our fearless leaders have fucked up foreign affairs, particularly nuclear non-proliferation, so badly that all they have left is more military posturing.

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. It's the usual bunch of idiots & a few IPAC Dems. If they do this

expect gas to get above $7.50. What is the urgency here?

[Subdivisions]

4. Kick for the Monday morning crowd. n/t

[slipslidingaway]

5. About 'Sense of Congress' Resolutions

"They do not make law and are not enforceable"

That being said I do believe we need to speak out now on this bill and the Senate bill if we do not like the direction we are headed.


http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/senseof.htm


"Sense of" resolutions are typically used as:

...On foreign affairs: a way to express the opinion of the people of the United States to the government of a foreign nation; and

..Although "sense of" resolutions have no force in law, foreign governments pay close attention to them as evidence of shifts in U.S. foreign policy priorities.

-------------

Also if one listens to certain speeches at the recent AIPAC conference, you will hear that some of the ideas in these bills were mentioned.


McCain...

http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=39526

"...Over a year ago I proposed applying sanctions to restrict Iran's ability to
import refined petroleum products on which it is highly dependent and the
time has come for an international campaign to do just that. A severe limit
on Iranian imports of gasoline would create immediate pressure on Khomeini
and Ahmadinejad to change course and to cease in the pursuit of nuclear
weapons..."


Obama...

http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=39525

"...If Iran fails to change course when presented with this
choice by the United States, it will be clear - to the people of Iran, and
to the world - that the Iranian regime is the author of its own isolation.
That will strengthen our hand with Russia and China as we insist on stronger
sanctions in the Security Council. And we should work with Europe, Japan and
the Gulf states to find every avenue outside the UN to isolate the Iranian
regime - from cutting off loan guarantees and expanding financial sanctions,
to banning the export of refined petroleum to Iran, to boycotting firms
associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which has rightly been
labeled a terrorist organization..."


Olmert...

http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=39515%20%20%20

"...Sanctions can be imposed on the export of gasoline to Iran and they can be
imposed on countries which refine gasoline for Iran. Governments should
announce that Iranian businessmen are no longer welcome in their countries,
and that funds arriving from or channeled to Iran should not be transferred
through their banks..."

[slipslidingaway]

6. Two questions...Does Iran have the right to enrich uranium

and where is the proof that they are actively pursuing nuclear weapons.

Also what about Pakistan that already has nuclear weapons?

[Wizard777]

7. How many (D)'s are backing this. I see Steny Hoyer is backing it. My Rep is not on the list.

I'm very pleased with that. John Sarbanes is not only a good guy. He's a smart guy too. He's also a new guy. But he has obviously been paying more attention than all those other more experienced career politician like Steny Hoyer. Because he was smart enough not to put his name on this. I swear I'm gonna vote for John Sarbanes again.

[Fireweed247]

8. This is an act of war

A war that humanity cannot afford.

[Fireweed247]

9. Is someone going to stop these bastards?

God Bless America! WE desperately need a miracle here...

[slipslidingaway]

10. kick n/t

[undeterred]

11. America will stick up for Israel no matter what.

[slipslidingaway]

12. Evening kick n/t

[gateley]

13. Kick