Americans for Peace Now

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APN maintains strong relationships with Members of Congress, congressional staff, and Executive Branch officials. A non-partisan organization . with a non-partisan mission, APN supplies timely information, analysis, expertise and education, providing a pro-Israel, pro-peace, American Jewish perspective on issues and legislation related to Israel and the quest for Middle East peace and, security. APN also engages in advocacy, directly and through its nationwide Action Network, to promote pro-Israel/pro-peace legislation and policy

APN publishes the Legislative Round-Up -- the most comprehensive resource available anywhere on Middle East-related developments on Capitol Hill -- every Friday when Congress is in session. APN also hosts policy briefings on Capitol Hill and brings experts to meet with policy makers to maintain a steady flow of balanced information from the region.

Legislative Round-Up: Jan 27-Feb 12, 2014

by admin_as_editor 02/12/14

1. Bills, Resolutions & Letters
2. Pro-Diplomacy Forces Gain Ground in Iran Hill Battle
3. The New Strategy: Fighting BDS with Legislation Attacking Free Speech?
4. Hearings
5. Members on the Record

Note: Apologies for the irregular schedule of Round-Ups in recent weeks (due to winter colds, international visitors, and now an impending snow storm). The Round-Up should return to its regular Friday schedule starting next week.

APN Legislative Round-Up: Special Recess Edition, Jan 24, 2014

by admin_as_editor 01/24/14

=======================
APN Legislative Round-Up
   Special Recess Edition
       The FY14 Omnibus
           Jan. 24, 2014
=======================

Last week the House and Senate passed HR 3547, the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. On 1/17/14 the President signed it into law. Division K of HR 3547 is the “Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2014,” which includes all foreign affairs appropriations (other than that which is appropriated under the Department of Defense), as well as a great deal of authorizing language (this has long been the pattern, given the inability of Congress to usually pass a Foreign Relations Authorization bill).

Below are details of the Middle East-related elements in the final bill, as well as relevant details from the accompanying report (known in this context as a Joint Explanatory Statement - JES). For details of the Middle East elements in the House version of this bill, HR 2855, and its accompanying report, see the 7/19/13 Round-Up. For details of the Middle East elements in the Senate version of this bill, S.1372, and its accompanying report, see the 7/26-8/2 Round-Up (Part 2).

It should be noted that the JES states explicitly that: “In implementing this agreement, Federal departments, agencies, and other entities shall comply with the directives, reporting requirements, and allocations contained in H. Rept. 113-185 (House report) accompanying H.R. 2855 (House bill) and S. Rept. 113-81 (Senate report) accompanying S. 1372 (Senate bill) as though stated in this explanatory statement unless specifically directed to the contrary. This explanatory statement, while repeating some House and Senate report language for emphasis or clarification, does not negate such language unless expressly provided herein.” Thus, to gain a full picture of Congressional intent and directives, the analysis below must be combined with the analysis of the House and Senate reports, linked in the preceding paragraph and examined in the relevant Round-Ups.

APN Legislative Round-Up for the week ending Jan. 17, 2014

by admin_as_editor 01/17/14

1. Bills, Resolutions & Letters
2. The Fight Over Iran Sanctions in the Senate (and House)
3. Plan B: Shifting Focus from Sanctions to Imposing Conditions on an Iran Final Deal
4. Members on the Record

APN Legislative Round-Up: Week Ending Jan. 10, 2014

by admin_as_editor 01/10/14

1. Bills, Resolutions & Letters
2. The Fight Over Iran Sanctions in the Senate - S. 1881
3. Hearings
4. Members on the Record

PAST ACTION - Tell Senate: Reject S. 1881, the New Anti-Iran-Diplomacy Bill

by admin_as_editor 01/06/14

Update: this action, now closed, ran from December 2013-January 2014.

We knew the fight to keep Iran-focused diplomacy alive wasn't over - and we were right. Just before the Senate went home for the holidays, Senators Menendez (D-NJ), Kirk (R-IL) and a group of 25 colleagues introduced a new and highly problematic Iran sanctions bill in the Senate - S. 1881, ironically named the "Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2013." Over the holiday break, this bill was the focal point of a major lobbying effort, with AIPAC and other groups working intensively to get Senators to cosponsor the measure -- and this effort will pick up additional steam in the coming days.