22 U.S.C. § 9511 — Congressional review of certain actions relating to sanctions imposed with respect to the Russian Federation

(a) Submission to Congress of proposed action. (1) Before taking an action covered by paragraph (2), the President must send the appropriate congressional committees and leadership a report describing the proposed action and its reasons, despite any other law. (2)(A) Covered actions are: (i) ending sanctions listed in (B); (ii) waiving those sanctions for a person; or (iii) a licensing action that significantly changes United States foreign policy toward Russia. (B) The sanctions are those under this chapter or laws amended by this title, including the Executive orders codified under section 9522; the Support for the Sovereignty, Integrity, Democracy, and Economic Stability of Ukraine Act of 2014; the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014; and the ban on access to Russian Government properties in Maryland and New York that the President ordered vacated on December 29, 2016. (3) Each report must say whether the action is or is not intended to significantly change that foreign policy. (4)(A) If it is intended to do so, the report must describe the change, its expected effect on United States national-security interests, and the policy goals for which the affected sanctions were first imposed. (B) The Senate Banking Committee or House Financial Services Committee may ask the relevant committee to submit the matters in (A)(ii) and (iii) for a report about an action not intended to make that significant change. (5) Proprietary information tied to a particular person may appear only if the committees and leadership assure confidentiality, unless that person gives written consent. (6) Paragraph (2)(A)(iii) does not require a report for a routine license that does not significantly change United States foreign policy toward Russia.
(b) Period for review by Congress. (1) During the 30 calendar days beginning when the President submits the report: (A) for an action not intended to make a significant change, the Senate Banking Committee and House Financial Services Committee should, as appropriate, hold hearings and briefings and otherwise obtain information for full review; and (B) for an action intended to make a significant change, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee should do the same. (2) The period is 60 calendar days when the report is submitted on or after July 10 and on or before September 7. (3) During that review period, including the extended period in (2), the President may not take the proposed action unless Congress enacts a joint resolution of approval under (c). (4) If both Houses pass a joint resolution of disapproval, the President may not take the action for 12 calendar days after passage. (5) If both Houses pass it and the President vetoes it, the President may not take the action for 10 calendar days after the veto. (6) If the joint resolution of disapproval is enacted under (c), the President may not take the action.
(c) Joint resolutions of disapproval or approval defined. (1) A “joint resolution of approval” means only a joint resolution of either House whose title is “A joint resolution approving the President’s proposal to take an action relating to the application of certain sanctions with respect to the Russian Federation.” Its only matter after the resolving clause must say that Congress approves the action relating to sanctions proposed in the President’s report under section 216(a)(1) of the Russia Sanctions Review Act of 2017 on the stated date and relating to the stated short description. (2) A “joint resolution of disapproval” is defined the same way, except its title says “disapproving” and its only matter says Congress disapproves. (3) During the period in (b)(1), including any extension in (b)(2), such a resolution may be introduced in the House by the majority or minority leader, and in the Senate by the majority or minority leader or designee. (4) A House committee must be discharged if it has not reported the resolution within 10 calendar days after referral. (5)(A) A Senate resolution goes to Banking if it concerns an action not intended to significantly alter policy, and to Foreign Relations if it concerns an action intended to do so. (B) A Senate committee must be discharged after 10 calendar days without a report, and the resolution goes to the proper calendar. (C) After reporting or discharge, it is in order to move to consider the resolution despite Senate Rule XXII and an earlier failed motion; points of order are waived, the motion is not debatable or postponable, and reconsideration is not in order. (D) Appeals about the Senate rules and this procedure are decided without debate. (E) Senate debate on a veto message, including debatable motions and appeals, is limited to 10 hours, equally divided and controlled by the majority and minority leaders or designees. (6)(A) For a Senate resolution received by the House, unless the House already passed one on the same action: it goes to the appropriate committees; a committee without a report within 2 calendar days is discharged; beginning on the third legislative day after report or discharge, a motion to consider is in order with points of order waived, no debate, and no reconsideration; and the resolution is considered read, with points of order waived and two hours of equally divided debate before final passage, with no reconsideration. (B)(i) If the Senate receives an identical House resolution before passing its own, the House resolution is not referred; Senate procedure is otherwise as if none had been received, but the passage vote is on the House resolution. (ii) If received after the Senate passed an identical resolution, it goes on the Senate calendar. (iii) If the House sends a resolution and no Senate companion was introduced, these Senate procedures apply to the House resolution. (C) These paragraph (6) procedures do not apply in the House to a resolution that is a revenue measure. (7) This subsection is enacted as each House’s rulemaking exercise and is part of its rules, superseding inconsistent rules only to that extent. Either House may change its procedure rules at any time as it may change any other rule.
(d) Appropriate congressional committees and leadership defined. For the Senate, this means the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Foreign Relations Committee, and majority and minority leaders. For the House, it means the Financial Services Committee, Foreign Affairs Committee, Speaker, majority leader, and minority leader.