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APN Legislative Round-Up - May 25, 2007

I. Bills and Resolutions; II. Landrieu-Coleman Dear Colleague

...for the week ending May 25, 2007

I. Bills and Resolutions
II. Landrieu-Coleman Dear Colleague

(Note: Congress is in recess next week)


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I. BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS
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New:

(JERUSALEM) H. Con. Res. 152: Introduced 5/22/07 by Rep. Lantos (D-CA) and 10 cosponsors, "Relating to the 40th anniversary of the reunification of the City of Jerusalem." Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, where the resolution was part of a group of measures what Lantos described as "non-controversial" measures the Committee considered and approved "en bloc" (i.e., without considering each individual measure) on 5/23/07. The Committee adopted a motion urging the Chairman to seek consideration of all of the measures on the House floor under suspension of the rules (the resolution is expected to come to the floor on June 5). The Senate version of this resolution will be introduced by Senator Biden (D-DE); as of the morning of May 25 it had not been introduced yet.

(IRAN) S. Res. 214: Introduced 5/24/07 by Cardin (D-MD) and 8 cosponsors, "calling upon the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to immediately release Dr. Haleh Esfandiari." Submitted in the Senate, considered, and passed by Unanimous Consent 5/24/07.

(IRAN) H. Res. 430: Introduced 5/22/07 by Rep. Van Hollen (D-MD) and four cosponsors, "Calling on the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to immediately release Dr. Haleh Esfandiari." Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, where the resolution was part of a group of measures considered and approved "en bloc" on 5/23/07 Committee mark- up, with the Committee adopting a motion urging the Chairman to seek consideration of the measure on the House floor under suspension of the rules.

(IRAN/SYRIA) HR 957: Introduced 2/28/07 by Rep. Ros-Lehtinen, and now having 47 cosponsors, "To amend the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to expand and clarify the entities against which sanctions may be imposed." On 5/22/07 the House Committee on Ways and Means was granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than June 29, 2007.

(IRAN) HR 885: During the 5/23/07 mark-up in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee amended and passed HR 885, the "International Nuclear Fuel for Peace and Nonproliferation Act 2007."

(IRAN) H. Con. Res. 21: During the 5/23/07 mark-up in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, this resolution, "Calling on the United Nations Security Council to charge Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with violating the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the United Nations Charter because of his calls for the destruction of the State of Israel," was part of a group of measures considered and approved "en bloc," with the Committee adopting a motion urging the Chairman to seek consideration of the measure on the House floor under suspension of the rules.

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II. LANDRIEU-COLEMAN DEAR COLLEAGUE
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On May 21st Senators Landrieu (D-LA) and Coleman (R-MN) began circulating a Dear Colleague seeking cosigners on a letter to Secretary of State Rice. In a message that seems somewhat overtaken by events, the letter asks Rice to "conduct a serious and comprehensive review of the situation on the ground in Gaza" and urges Rice to "impress upon our ally [Egypt] the need for them to address the root of the smuggling infrastructure in Sinai and to uphold their security responsibilities."


For more information, contact Lara Friedman, APN Director of Policy and Government Relations, at 202/728-1893, or at lfriedman@peacenow.org.