View all text of Subchapter X [§ 2151 - § 2160e]
§ 2159. Congressional review procedures
(a) Committee consideration of Presidential submissions; reports
(b) Consideration of resolution by respective Houses of Congress
(c) Debate
(d) Vote on final approval
(e) Appeals from decisions of Chair
(f) Resolution
(g) Continuity of Congressional sessions; computation of time
(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), for the purposes of this section—
(A) continuity of session is broken only by an adjournment of Congress sine die; and
(B) the days on which either House is not in session because of an adjournment of more than three days to a day certain are excluded in the computation of any period of time in which Congress is in continuous session.
(2) For purposes of this section insofar as it applies to section 2153 of this title—
(A) continuity of session is broken only by an adjournment of Congress sine die at the end of a Congress; and
(B) the days on which either House is not in session because of an adjournment of more than three days are excluded in the computation of any period of time in which Congress is in continuous session.
(h) Supersedure or change in rulesThis section is enacted by Congress—
(1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the Senate and the House of Representatives, respectively, and as such they are deemed 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 resolutions described by subsection (f) of this section; and they supersede other rules only to the extent that they are inconsistent therewith; and
(2) with full recognition of the constitutional right of either House to change the rules (so far as relating 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.
(i) Joint resolutions
(1) For the purposes of this subsection, the term “joint resolution” means—
(A) for an agreement for cooperation pursuant to section 2153 of this title, a joint resolution, the matter after the resolving clause of which is as follows: “That the Congress (does or does not) favor the proposed agreement for cooperation transmitted to the Congress by the President on _____ .”,
(B) for a determination under section 2158 of this title, a joint resolution, the matter after the resolving clause of which is as follows: “That the Congress does not favor the determination transmitted to the Congress by the President on _____ .”, or
(C) for a subsequent arrangement under section 201 of the United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act, a joint resolution, the matter after the resolving clause of which is as follows: “That the Congress does not favor the subsequent arrangement to the Agreement for Cooperation Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of India Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy that was transmitted to Congress by the President on September 10, 2008.”,
with the date of the transmission of the proposed agreement for cooperation inserted in the blank, and the affirmative or negative phrase within the parenthetical appropriately selected.
(2) On the day on which a proposed agreement for cooperation is submitted to the House of Representatives and the Senate under section 2153(d) of this title, a joint resolution with respect to such agreement for cooperation shall be introduced (by request) in the House by the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for himself and the ranking minority member of the Committee, or by Members of the House designated by the chairman and ranking minority member; and shall be introduced (by request) in the Senate by the majority leader of the Senate, for himself and the minority leader of the Senate, or by Members of the Senate designated by the majority leader and minority leader of the Senate. If either House is not in session on the day on which such an agreement for cooperation is submitted, the joint resolution shall be introduced in that House, as provided in the preceding sentence, on the first day thereafter on which that House is in session.
(3) All joint resolutions introduced in the House of Representatives shall be referred to the appropriate committee or committees, and all joint resolutions introduced in the Senate shall be referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations and in addition, in the case of a proposed agreement for cooperation arranged pursuant to section 2121(c), 2164(b), or 2164(c) of this title, the Committee on Armed Services.
(4) If the committee of either House to which a joint resolution has been referred has not reported it at the end of 45 days after its introduction (or in the case of a joint resolution related to a subsequent arrangement under section 201 of the United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act, 15 days after its introduction), the committee shall be discharged from further consideration of the joint resolution or of any other joint resolution introduced with respect to the same matter; except that, in the case of a joint resolution which has been referred to more than one committee, if before the end of that 45-day period (or in the case of a joint resolution related to a subsequent arrangement under section 201 of the United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act, 15-day period) one such committee has reported the joint resolution, any other committee to which the joint resolution was referred shall be discharged from further consideration of the joint resolution or of any other joint resolution introduced with respect to the same matter.
(5) A joint resolution under this subsection shall be considered in the Senate in accordance with the provisions of section 601(b)(4) of the International Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Act of 1976. For the purpose of expediting the consideration and passage of joint resolutions reported or discharged pursuant to the provisions of this subsection, it shall be in order for the Committee on Rules of the House of Representatives to present for consideration a resolution of the House of Representatives providing procedures for the immediate consideration of a joint resolution under this subsection which may be similar, if applicable, to the procedures set forth in section 601(b)(4) of the International Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Act of 1976.
(6) In the case of a joint resolution described in paragraph (1), if prior to the passage by one House of a joint resolution of that House, that House receives a joint resolution with respect to the same matter from the other House, then—
(A) the procedure in that House shall be the same as if no joint resolution had been received from the other House; but
(B) the vote on final passage shall be on the joint resolution of the other House.
(Aug. 1, 1946, ch. 724, title I, § 130, as added Pub. L. 95–242, title III, § 308, Mar. 10, 1978, 92 Stat. 139; amended Pub. L. 99–64, title III, § 301(c), July 12, 1985, 99 Stat. 160; renumbered title I, Pub. L. 102–486, title IX, § 902(a)(8), Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 2944; Pub. L. 103–437, § 15(f)(5), Nov. 2, 1994, 108 Stat. 4592; Pub. L. 110–369, title II, § 205, Oct. 8, 2008, 122 Stat. 4033.)