[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 70 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. J. RES. 70

Requiring the President to submit to Congress a plan for the withdrawal 
    of United States Armed Forces from Iraq, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 25, 2005

   Mr. Price of North Carolina (for himself and Mr. Miller of North 
Carolina) introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred 
              to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
Requiring the President to submit to Congress a plan for the withdrawal 
    of United States Armed Forces from Iraq, and for other purposes.

    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) United States Armed Forces initiated combat operations 
        against the military of the Saddam Hussein regime on March 19, 
        2003, and concluded those operations in April 2004 with the 
        defeat of the Iraqi military and the collapse of the Hussein 
        regime.
            (2) United States Armed Forces personnel have remained in 
        Iraq since the beginning of combat operations, and now number 
        approximately 148,000.
            (3) United States Armed Forces personnel have served with 
        great distinction and valor in Iraq, and have earned the 
        commendation and thanks of the United States Congress and the 
        American people.
            (4) An interim government of Iraq assumed sovereignty at 
        the end of June 2004, and conducted an election on January 30, 
        2005, for a transitional National Assembly to draft a permanent 
        constitution for Iraq.
            (5) The Iraqi people ratified the permanent constitution by 
        a referendum conducted on October 15, 2005, and parliamentary 
        elections under that constitution are now scheduled for 
        December 15, 2005.
            (6) The President has failed to state clearly the mission 
        of the United States Armed Forces in Iraq or to set forth a 
        specific plan or a time frame for accomplishing that mission.
            (7) That failure has contributed to a belief among Iraqis 
        that the United States intends to occupy Iraq on a long term 
        basis, which has fueled an insurgency with escalating violence.
            (8) The ratification of the Iraqi constitution and the 
        scheduled parliamentary elections are critical steps in 
        establishing a functional, stable government in Iraq, and 
        present an opportunity for the United States to establish a 
        plan to withdraw United States Armed Forces from Iraq that 
        would support the legitimacy of the Iraqi Government and the 
        assumption of responsibility by Iraqi forces for security and 
        public safety.

SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    Congress declares that it is the policy of the United States--
            (1) to begin withdrawing United States Armed Forces from 
        Iraq;
            (2) to recognize the elected Government of Iraq as the 
        legitimate government of a fully sovereign country with control 
        over its natural resources, security, and public safety within 
        its borders;
            (3) to accelerate the training of Iraqi forces able to 
        provide for the security of Iraq, and to urge the North 
        Atlantic Treaty Organization, other international 
        organizations, and other countries to participate in that 
        training;
            (4) to complete the withdrawal of United States Armed 
        Forces personnel occupying Iraq in an orderly manner, 
        relinquishing to the Government of Iraq full responsibility for 
        maintaining security and public safety;
            (5) to transfer to Iraqi security forces all bases now used 
        by United States Armed Forces, and to maintain no permanent 
        bases or other long term United States military presence in 
        Iraq;
            (6) to support reconstruction efforts by the Government of 
        Iraq and to help involve the international community in those 
        and other stabilization efforts;
            (7) to provide diplomatic and political support to the 
        Government of Iraq to achieve stability and an enduring 
        democracy; and
            (8) to prosecute without quarter a war on terrorist 
        organizations and networks around the world.

SEC. 3. REQUIREMENTS TO IMPLEMENT POLICY.

    Not later than 30 days after agreement on this Joint Resolution, 
the President shall submit to Congress a report on the President's plan 
to implement the policy described in section 2. The report shall 
describe--
            (1) a plan for withdrawing United States Armed Forces from 
        Iraq, including--
                    (A) a date for an initial withdrawal of forces;
                    (B) the expected time period for completing the 
                withdrawal; and
                    (C) any circumstances deemed relevant to completing 
                the withdrawal; and
            (2) the remaining mission of United States Armed Forces in 
        Iraq, including--
                    (A) the plan to achieve that mission; and
                    (B) an explanation of how that mission advances the 
                timely withdrawal of United States Armed Forces.
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