A joint resolution prohibiting the deployment, establishment, or maintenance of a presence of units and members of the United States Armed Forces on the ground in Libya, and for other purposes.
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
States that: (1) the U.S. Armed Forces shall be used exclusively to defend and advance U.S. national security interests; (2) the President has failed to provide Congress with a compelling security rationale for current U.S. military activities regarding Libya; and (3) the President shall not deploy, establish, or maintain the presence of units and members of the U.S. Armed Forces on the ground in Libya unless such presence is limited to the immediate personal defense of U.S. government officials (including diplomatic representatives) or to rescuing members of the U.S. Armed Forces from imminent danger.
States that Department of Defense (DOD) funds shall not be obligated or expended to: (1) deploy units or members of the U.S. Armed Forces for ground combat operations in Libya unless such deployment is limited solely to rescuing U.S. Armed Forces members from imminent danger; (2) award a contract to a private security contractor for ground activity in Libya; or (3) establish or maintain any presence of units or members of the U.S. Armed Forces or private security contractors on the ground of Libya, unless such presence is limited to the immediate personal defense of U.S. government officials (including diplomatic representatives) or to rescuing U.S. Armed Forces members from imminent danger.
Expresses the the sense of Congress that: (1) the President should request authorization from Congress for the continuation of U.S. involvement in ongoing North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) activities in Libya, and (2) Congress should fully debate and consider such request expeditiously.
Directs the Secretaries of State and Defense and the Attorney General to transmit to Congress, not later than 14 days after adoption of this joint resolution, a copy of any official document, record, memo, correspondence, or other communication in the possession of such official that was created on or after February 15, 2011, and refers or relates to: (1) consultation or communication with Congress regarding the employment or deployment of the Armed Forces for Operation Odyssey Dawn or NATO Operation Unified Protector, or (2) the War Powers Resolution and Operation Odyssey Dawn or Operation Unified Protector.
The summary continues for 1 more paragraph. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on June 8, 2011. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this joint resolution could become law.
The record's latest action, on June 8, 2011: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
What is a joint resolution, exactly?
A joint resolution travels the same road as a bill: both chambers pass it and the President signs it, and it then has the same force as any other law. The label is largely a matter of custom, often used for narrow or time-limited measures.
One exception matters. A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution is not sent to the President at all. It goes to the states, and three quarters of them have to ratify it.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 112th Congress (2011-12), 283 of the 10,618 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
James Webb (D-VA) introduced it on June 8, 2011, and 2 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 2 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on June 8, 2011, 5620 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 5620 days ago, on June 8, 2011.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 112th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2013 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers