Congressman Connolly Introduces New Legislation for Nuclear Agreement
November 12, 2015, Washington DC – On October 9th, 2015, Congressman Gerry Connolly (VA-11) introduced a new bipartisan legislation to create a commission to oversee the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), H.R. 3741. The aim is to effectively bring Congress and the Administration together in order to monitor and implement the Iran nuclear accord. The Commission to Verify Iranian Nuclear Compliance is modeled after the Helsinki Commission, created in 1976, to monitor compliance with the Helsinki Final Act.
This Congressional-Executive commission would include 16 Members of Congress, 8 appointed by the Senate and 8 appointed by the House of Representatives, and 4 representatives from the Executive branch, representing the Department of State, Department of Defense, Department of the Treasury, and Department of Energy. The respective Chamber leadership, the leadership of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the President, will appoint the Commissioners.
“The Commission to Verify Iranian Nuclear Compliance will ensure close and enduring Congressional oversight of the JCPOA as well as coordination between Congress and the Administration regarding the implementation of the deal,” stated Representative Connolly, “More important than the agreement reached in Vienna is Iran’s compliance with the commitments made. I supported this deal, and I believe it is a viable alternative for addressing the Iranian nuclear issue.”
The Commission established by this bill will verify the Islamic Republic of Iran’s compliance with its obligations under the agreement, assess the adequacy of the safeguards and other control mechanisms contained in the agreement with respect to Iran’s nuclear program, and assess the capacity of the International Atomic Energy Agency to implement the verification regime required by or related to the agreement.
The legislation is one of the rare measures in Congress that is garnering support from both the supporters and opponents of the JCPOA. The original co-sponsors of the legislation include Representatives Jim Langevin, Steve Israel, Gregory Meeks, Bill Foster, Ami Bera, Kathleen Rice, Dan Kildee, John Delaney, David Cicilline, and Richard Hanna joined Congressman Connolly in introducing this bill.
This bill was introduced on October 9th, 2015 and has since been referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
