[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 72 (Wednesday, May 23, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E910-E911]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                THE ILSA RENEWAL ACT OF 2001--H.R. 1954

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 23, 2001

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to note that earlier today I 
introduced H.R. 1954, the ILSA Extension Act of 2001, which will extend 
the provisions of the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act for an additional five 
years.
  I have introduced the bill together with my colleague, the gentleman 
from California, Mr. Howard Berman as the lead cosponsor, and with 
nearly 200 additional original cosponsors.
  Among those original cosponsors are members of the House leadership 
on both sides of the aisle, including, notably, our Majority Leader, 
Dick Armey, Deborah Pryce, Chris Cox, Roy Blunt, and Committee 
Chairmen, Porter Goss, Sherry Boehlert, Jim Saxton, Chris Smith, and 
Don Young. On the other side of the aisle we have leaders such as 
Martin Frost and Bob Menendez, the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the 
Democratic Caucus, Tom Lantos, the ranking Democrat on our House 
International Relations Committee, and Gary Ackerman, the ranking 
Member on our Middle East Subcommittee.
  We are advocating that ILSA remain in effect for another five years 
because Iran continues to threaten the national security of the United 
States, as President Bush certified to Congress in March. Although 
Libyans stand convicted of killing Americans, British, and others by 
bringing down Pan Am Flight 103, the Libyan government has failed to 
take responsibility for its actions in this matter, as required by the 
U.N. Security Council. Without ILSA these countries would be more 
dangerous still.
  It was the intent of the supporters of the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act, 
five years ago, that either Iran would change its behavior so that it 
would gain access to investments from around the world or that, absent 
a change in behavior, it would be hampered in its efforts to promote 
terror and obtain weapons of mass destruction. It is regrettable that 
Iranian behavior has not changed for the better.
  In fact, it seems to be getting worse--in its training of terrorists, 
in its production of chemical and biological weapons and the production 
of long range missiles. But that is no reason to give up our struggle 
to deprive Iran of the means to use violence to achieve its aims. There 
is ample evidence that ILSA has delayed exploitation of Iran's energy 
resources and made their development more difficult and more expensive. 
And that is exactly what the Iran Libya Sanctions Extension Act will 
continue to do.
  In Iran we are confronted with a regime whose national security aims 
include the destruction of the State of Israel and a desire to threaten 
the United States. So it is left to us to do what the Iranian people 
cannot do for themselves, which is to contain the existing regime as 
best we can. And that is all that our legislation does.
  ILSA does not affect any of our American companies. It is aimed 
solely at foreign companies which take advantage of our executive-order 
ban on investment in Iran or Libya.
  It even provides that it would not have any further effect if Iran 
and Libya conform to acceptable standards of behavior for members of

[[Page E911]]

the world community. But they have not done so thus far.
  Our Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia received testimony 
on May 9 about the impact of ILSA. We believe, based on that testimony 
and on other information we have received over the years, that ILSA has 
been effective in slowing down investment in Iran. It has helped to 
slow Iran's development of the means to threaten the United States and 
its friends. Iran, however, has been taking actions that threaten the 
United States. To prevent Iran from doing further harm, we are asking 
our colleagues in the Congress to renew ILSA.
  Mr. Speaker, for the convenience of our colleagues, I am inserting 
into the Record a copy of the bill and a list of its original 
cosponsors.

                               H.R. 1954

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``ILSA Extension Act of 
     2001''.

     SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF IRAN AND LIBYA SANCTIONS ACT OF 1996.

       Section 13(b) of the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996 
     (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; Public Law 104-172) is amended by 
     striking ``5 years'' and inserting ``10 years''.


                            ILSA Co-Sponsors

       Benjamin A. Gilman, Howard L. Berman, Dick Armey, Tom 
     Lantos, Deborah Pryce, Gary L. Ackerman, Christopher Cox, 
     Henry A. Waxman, Robert B. Aderholt, Robert E. Andrews, Joe 
     Baca, Brian Baird, Richard H. Baker, Tammy Baldwin, Charles 
     Bass, Xavier Becerra, Ken Bentsen, Shelly Berkeley, Sherwood 
     L. Boehlert, Judy Biggert, Michael Bilirakis, Rod R. 
     Blagojevich, Roy Blunt, Henry Bonilla, Mary Bono, Robert A. 
     Borski, Allen Boyd, Sherrod Brown, Ed Bryant, Dan Burton, 
     Steve Buyer, Sonny Callahan, Eric Cantor, Lois Capps, Brad 
     Carson, Michael E. Capuano, Benjamin L. Cardin, Howard Coble, 
     Gary A. Condit, Jerry F. Costello, Ander Crenshaw.
       Joseph Crowley, Jim Davis, Jo Ann Davis, Susan A. Davis, 
     Tom Davis, Diana DeGette, Peter Deutsch, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, 
     John T. Doolittle, Michael F. Doyle, Vernon Ehlers, Eliot L. 
     Engel, Anna G. Eshoo, Bob Etheridge, Lane Evans, Mike 
     Ferguson, Jeff Flake, Harold E. Ford, Jr., Vito Fossella, 
     Barney Frank, Rodney P. Frelinghuysen, Martin Frost, Greg 
     Ganske, Elton Gallegly, George W. Gekas, Wayne T. Gilchrest, 
     Paul E. Gillmor, Charles A. Gonzales, Bart Gordon, Porter J. 
     Goss, Lindsey O. Graham, Kay Granger, Sam Graves, Felix J. 
     Grucci, Jr., Luis V. Gutierrez, Alcee L. Hastings, Jane 
     Harman, Melissa A. Hart, Robin Hayes, J.D. Hayworth, Van 
     Hillery, Joseph M. Hoeffel.
       Rush D. Holt, Michael M. Honda, Stephen Horn, Steny H. 
     Hoyer, Duncan Hunter, Asa Hutchinson, Steve Israel, Darrel E. 
     Issa, Sue W. Kelly, Patrick J. Kennedy, Peter T. King, Jack 
     Kingston, Mark Steven Kirk, Joe Knollenberg, James R. 
     Langevin, Nick Lampson, John B. Larson, Steven C. LaTourette, 
     James A. Leach, Barbara Lee, Sander M. Levin, John Lewis, 
     William O. Lipinski, Frank A. LoBiondo, Nita M. Lowey, 
     Carolyn McCarthy, Karen McCarthy, Jim McCrery, James P. 
     McGovern, Scott McInnis, Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon, Michael 
     R. McNulty, Carolyn B. Maloney, Donald A. Manzullo, Edward J. 
     Markey, Frank Mascara, Robert T. Matsui, Gregory W. Meeks, 
     Robert Menendez, John L. Mica, Juanita Millender-McDonald, 
     Dan Miller, George Miller.
       Constance A. Morella, John P. Murtha, Sue Wilkins Myrick, 
     Jerrold Nadler, Anne M. Northup, Charlie Norwood, Doug Ose, 
     C.L. ``Butch'' Otter, Major R. Owens, Frank Pallone, Jr., 
     Bill Pascrell, Jr., Ed Pastor, Nancy Pelosi, David D. Phelps, 
     Joseph R. Pitts, Todd Russell Platts, Adam H. Putnam, Jim 
     Ramstad, Dennis R. Rehberg, Thomas M. Reynolds, Bob Riley, 
     Lynn N. Rivers, Ciro D. Rodriguez, Dana Rohrabacher, Mike 
     Rogers, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Steven R. Rothman, Marge 
     Roukema, Jim Ryun, Martin Olav Sabo, Max Sandlin, Jim Saxton, 
     Joe Scarborough, Janice D. Schakowsky, Adam B. Schiff, Edward 
     L. Schrock, Pete Sessions, E. Clay, Shaw, Jr., John B. 
     Shadegg, Brad Sherman, Ronnie Shows, Rob Simmons, Ike 
     Skelton, Louise McIntosh Slaughter, Christopher H. Smith.
       Hilda L. Solis, Mark E. Souder, Floyd Spence, Cliff 
     Stearns, Bob Stump, Bart Stupak, John E. Sweeney, John S. 
     Tanner, Ellen O. Tauscher, W.J. (Bill) Tauzin, Lee Terry, 
     Mike Thompson, Karen L. Thurman, Patrick J. Tiberi, Tom 
     Udall, Robert A. Underwood, Peter J. Visclosky, David Vitter, 
     Zach Wamp, Anthony D. Weiner, Dave Weldon, Curt Weldon, Jerry 
     Weller, Robert Wexler, Roger F. Wicker, Lynn C. Woolsey, 
     David Wu, Don Young.

     

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