War Powers Reform Act
Latest action · Dec 16, 2011 Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedDec 16, 2011
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
War Powers Reform Act - Amends the War Powers Resolution to direct the President in every possible instance to submit to Congress before introducing U.S. Armed Forces into hostilities or situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated a written report setting forth the estimated scope and duration of the hostilities or involvement.
Directs the President, in the absence of a declaration of war or a specific statutory authorization (currently, only in the absence of a declaration of war), to submit a written report to Congress within 48 hours when the Armed Forces are introduced into hostilities or foreign nations under specified circumstances and requires that such report include the circumstances necessitating the introduction, the constitutional and legislative authority under which such introduction took place, and the estimated scope and duration of the hostilities or involvement.
Repeals an existing framework under which the President is required to terminate, within 60 days, subject to a possible 30-day extension, any use of Armed Forces with respect to which the President has submitted (or is required to submit) a report concerning the introduction of Armed Forces into hostilities in the absence of a declaration of war, unless: (1) Congress declares war or enacts specific authorization, (2) extends the 60-day period, or (3) is physically unable to meet as a result of an armed attack upon the United States. Strikes provisions concerning congressional action to remove Armed Forces engaged in hostilities without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization.
Replaces such framework with a process that prohibits funds available for the Armed Forces from being obligated or expended for introducing the Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated, in the absence of: (1) a declaration of war; (2) specific statutory authorization; or (3) a national emergency created by an attack or imminent threat of attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or the Armed Forces.
Cosponsors 29
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Dec 16, 2011 to Jul 9, 2012; 24 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-GA | Austin Scott | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-OH | Bill Johnson | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-NJ | Christopher H. Smith | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-MI | Dan Benishek | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-IN | Dan Burton | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-FL | Dennis A. Ross | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-KY | Geoff Davis | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-OK | James Lankford | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-FL | Jeff Miller | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-TN | John J. Duncan, Jr. | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-IL | John Shimkus | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-SC | Mick Mulvaney | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-IN | Mike Pence | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-AL | Mo Brooks | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-AZ | Paul A. Gosar | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-ID | Raul R. Labrador | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-WI | Reid J. Ribble | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-FL | Richard B. Nugent | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-MD | Roscoe G. Bartlett | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-OH | Steve Stivers | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-OH | Steven C. LaTourette | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-FL | Thomas J. Rooney | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-NY | Tom Reed | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-NC | Virginia Foxx | Original | Dec 16, 2011 |
| R-NE | Jeff Fortenberry | Feb 8, 2012 | |
| I-MI | Justin Amash | Feb 17, 2012 | |
| D-CA | John Garamendi | May 17, 2012 | |
| D-WA | Adam Smith | Jun 29, 2012 | |
| R-OH | Jim Jordan | Jul 9, 2012 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Foreign Affairs Committee | Referred Dec 16, 2011 |
| House | Rules Committee | Referred Dec 16, 2011 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Dec 16, 2011Introduced in House
- Dec 16, 2011Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H9927.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 1609 | War Powers Reform Act of 2011 | Related bill | Apr 15, 2011 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the War Powers Resolution to limit the use of funds for introduction of the Armed Forces into hostilities, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- War Powers Reform Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Dec 16, 2011Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.