,,iia ,calendar ,no4 #aff #aacth        
,,congress  #ast ,session  ,s4 ,j4      
,,res4 #ba  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of    
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,september #f1 
#bjac,mr4 ,menendez1 from the ,committee
 on ,foreign ,relations1 reported the   
following original joint resolution2    
which was read twice and placed on the  
calendar  ,,joint ,,resolution  ,to     
authorize the limited and specified use 
of the ,united ,states ,armed ,forces   
against ,syria4  ,whereas ,syria is in  
material breach of the laws of war by   
having employed chemical weapons against
 its civilian population2 ,whereas the  
abuses of the regime of ,bashar         
al-,assad have included the brutal      
repression and war upon its own civilian
 population1 resulting in more than     
#ajj1jjj people killed in the past two  
years1 #b1jjj1jjj ,syrian refugees in   
neighboring countries1 and #d1ejj1jjj   
internally displaced persons in ,syria1 
creating an unprecedented regional      
crisis and instability2 ,whereas the    

,assad regime has the largest chemical  
weapons programs in the region and has  
demonstrated its capability and         
willingness to repeatedly use weapons of
 mass destruction against its own       
people1 including the ,august #ba1      
#bjac1 attack in the suburbs of         
,damascus in which the ,assad regime    
murdered over #a1jjj innocent people1   
including hundreds of children2 ,whereas
 there is clear and compelling evidence 
of the direct involvement of ,assad     
regime forces and senior officials in   
the planning1 execution1 and            
after-action attempts to cover-up1 the  
,august #ba1 #bjac1 attack1 and hide or 
destroy evidence of such attack2        
,whereas the ,arab ,league has declared 
with regards to the ,august #ba1 #bjac1 
incident to hold the ,syrian regime     
responsible for this heinous crime2     
,whereas the ,united ,nations ,security 
,council1 in ,resolution #aedj 7#bjjd71 
affirmed that the proliferation of      
nuclear1 chemical1 and biological       

weapons constitutes a threat to         
international peace and security2       
,whereas in the ,syria ,accountability  
and ,lebanese ,sovereignty ,restoration 
,act of #bjjc 7,public ,law #ajh-age71  
,congress found that ,syria's           
acquisition of weapons of mass          
destruction threatens the security of   
the ,middle ,east and the national      
security interests of the ,united       
,states2 ,whereas the actions and       
conduct of the ,assad regime are in     
direct contravention of ,syria's legal  
obligations under the ,united ,nations  
,charter1 the ,geneva ,conventions1 and 
the ,protocol to the ,hague ,convention 
on the ,prohibition of the ,use in ,war 
of ,asphyxiating1 ,poisonous or other   
,gases1 and of ,bacteriological ,methods
 of ,warfare1 done at ,geneva ,june #ag1
 #aibe1 and also violate the standards  
set forth in the ,convention on the     
,prohibition of the ,development1       
,production1 ,stockpiling and use of    
,chemical ,weapons and on their         

,destruction1 done at ,paris ,january   
#ac1 #aiic2 ,whereas ,syria's use of    
weapons of mass destruction and its     
conduct and actions constitute a grave  
threat to regional stability1 world     
peace1 and the national security        
interests of the ,united ,states and its
 allies and partners2 ,whereas the      
objectives of the ,united ,states use of
 military force in connection with this 
authorization are to respond to the use1
 and deter and degrade the potential    
future use1 of weapons of mass          
destruction by the ,government of       
,syria2 ,whereas1 on ,may #ba1 #bjac1   
the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of
 the ,senate passed by a #ae-c vote the 
,syria ,transition ,support ,act 7,s4   
#ifj71 which found that the ,president's
 goals of ,assad leaving power1 an end  
to the violence1 and a negotiated       
political settlement in ,syria are      
prerequisites for a stable1 democratic  
future for ,syria and regional peace and
 security1 but absent decisive changes  

to the present military balance of power
 on the ground in ,syria1 sufficient    
incentives do not yet exist for the     
achievement of such goals2 and ,whereas 
the ,president has authority under the  
,constitution to use force in order to  
defend the national security interests  
of the ,united ,states3 ,now1 therefore1
 be it #a4 ,short title ,this joint     
resolution may be cited as the          
,authorization for the ,use of ,military
 ,force ,against the ,government of     
,syria to ,respond to ,use of ,chemical 
,weapons4  #b4 ,authorization for use of
 ,united ,states armed forces  7a7      
,authorization ,the ,president is       
authorized1 subject to subsection 7b71  
to use the ,armed ,forces of the ,united
 ,states as the ,president determines to
 be necessary and appropriate in a      
limited and specified manner against    
legitimate military targets in ,syria1  
only to-- 7#a7 respond to the use of    
weapons of mass destruction by the      
,government of ,syria in the conflict in

 ,syria2  7#b7 deter ,syria's use of    
such weapons in order to protect the    
national security interests of the      
,united ,states and to protect ,united  
,states allies and partners against the 
use of such weapons2  7#c7 degrade      
,syria's capacity to use such weapons in
 the future2 and  7#d7 prevent the      
transfer to terrorist groups or other   
state or non-state actors within ,syria 
of any weapons of mass destruction4  7b7
 ,requirement for determination that use
 of military force is necessary ,before 
exercising the authority granted in     
subsection 7a71 the ,president shall    
make available to the ,speaker of the   
,house of ,representatives and the      
,president pro tempore of the ,senate   
the ,president's determination that--   
7#a7 the ,united ,states has used all   
appropriate diplomatic and other        
peaceful means to prevent the deployment
 and use of weapons of mass destruction 
by ,syria2  7#b7 the ,government of     
,syria has conducted one or more        

significant chemical weapons attacks2   
7#c7 the use of military force is       
necessary to respond to the use of      
chemical weapons by the ,government of  
,syria2  7#d7 it is in the core national
 security interest of the ,united       
,states to use such military force2     
7#e7 the ,united ,states has a military 
plan to achieve the specific goals of-- 
7,a7 responding to the use of weapons of
 mass destruction by the ,government of 
,syria in the conflict in ,syria2  7,b7 
deterring ,syria's use of such weapons  
in order to protect the national        
security interests of the ,united       
,states and to protect ,united ,states  
allies and partners against the use of  
such weapons2  7,c7 degrading ,syria's  
capacity to use such weapons in the     
future2 and  7,d7 preventing the        
transfer to terrorist groups or other   
state or non-state actors within ,syria 
of any weapons of mass destruction2 and 
7#f7 the use of military force is       
consistent with and furthers the goals  

of the ,united ,states strategy toward  
,syria1 including achieving a negotiated
 political settlement to the conflict4  
7c7 ,war powers resolution requirements 
7#a7 ,specific statutory authorization  
,consistent with section #h7;a77#a7 of  
the ,war ,powers ,resolution 7#ej       
,u4,s4,c4 #aedg7;a77#a771 ,congress     
declares that this section is intended  
to constitute specific statutory        
authorization within the meaning of     
section #e7;b7 of the ,war ,powers      
,resolution 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #aedd7;b771  
within the limits of the authorization  
established under this section4  7#b7   
,applicability of other requirements    
,nothing in this resolution supersedes  
any requirement of the ,war ,powers     
,resolution 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #aeda et     
seq474  #c4 ,limitation ,the authority  
granted in section #b7;a7 does not      
authorize the use of the ,united ,states
 ,armed ,forces on the ground in ,syria 
for the purpose of combat operations4   
#d4 ,termination of the authorization   

for the use of ,united ,states ,armed   
,forces ,the authorization in section   
#b7;a7 shall terminate #fj days after   
the date of the enactment of this joint 
resolution1 except that the ,president  
may extend1 for a single period of #cj  
days1 such authorization if-- 7#a7 the  
,president determines and certifies to  
,congress1 not later than #e days before
 the date of termination of the initial 
authorization1 that the extension is    
necessary to fulfill the purposes of    
this resolution as defined by section   
#b7;a7 due to extraordinary             
circumstances and for ongoing and       
impending military operations against   
,syria under section #b7;a72 and  7#b7  
,congress does not enact into law1      
before the extension of authorization1 a
 joint resolution disapproving the      
extension of the authorization for the  
additional #cj-;day period2 provided    
that any such joint resolution shall be 
considered under the expedited          
procedures otherwise provided for       

concurrent resolutions of disapproval   
contained in section #g of the ,war     
,powers ,resolution 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4      
#aedf74  #e4 ,statement of policy  7a7  
,changing of momentum on battlefield ,it
 is the policy of the ,united ,states to
 change the momentum on the battlefield 
in ,syria so as to create favorable     
conditions for a negotiated settlement  
that ends the conflict and leads to a   
democratic government in ,syria4  7b7   
,degradation of ability of regime to use
 weapons of mass destruction ,a         
comprehensive ,united ,states strategy  
in ,syria should aim1 as part of a      
coordinated international effort1 to    
degrade the capabilities of the ,assad  
regime to use weapons of mass           
destruction while upgrading the lethal  
and non-lethal military capabilities of 
vetted elements of ,syrian opposition   
forces1 including the ,free ,syrian     
,army4  #f4 ,syria strategy  7a7 ,in    
general ,not later than #cj days after  
the date of the enactment of this       

resolution1 the ,president shall consult
 with ,congress and submit to the       
,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the
 ,senate and the ,committee on ,foreign 
,affairs of the ,house of               
,representatives an integrated ,united  
,states ,government strategy for        
achieving a negotiated political        
settlement to the conflict in ,syria1   
including a comprehensive review of     
current and planned ,united ,states     
diplomatic1 political1 economic1 and    
military policy towards ,syria4  7b7    
,elements ,the strategy required under  
subsection 7a7 shall include-- 7#a7 the 
provision of all forms of assistance to 
the ,syrian ,supreme ,military ,council 
and other ,syrian entities opposed to   
the government of ,bashar ,al-,assad    
that have been properly and fully vetted
 and share common values and interests  
with the ,united ,states2  7#b7 the     
provision of all forms of assistance to 
the ,syrian political opposition1       
including the ,syrian ,opposition       

,coalition2  7#c7 efforts to isolate    
extremist and terrorist groups in ,syria
 to prevent their influence on the      
future transitional and permanent       
,syrian governments2  7#d7 security     
coordination with allies and regional   
partners including ,israel1 ,jordan and 
,turkey2  7#e7 efforts to limit support 
from the ,government of ,iran and others
 for the ,syrian regime2  7#f7 planning 
for securing existing chemical1         
biological1 and other weapons supplies2 
and  7#g7 efforts to address the ongoing
 humanitarian challenges presented by   
#b1jjj1jjj ,syrian refugees in          
neighboring countries1 and #d1ejj1jjj   
internally displaced persons in ,syria1 
and related humanitarian needs4  #g4    
,congressional notification and         
reporting  7a7 ,notification and        
provision of information ,upon the      
,president's determination to use the   
authority set forth in section #b1 the  
,president shall notify ,congress1      
including the ,committee on ,foreign    

,relations of the ,senate and the       
,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the  
,house of ,representatives1 of the use  
of such authority and shall keep        
,congress fully and currently informed  
of the use of such authority4  7b7      
,reports ,not later than #aj days after 
the initiation of military operations   
under the authority provided by section 
#b1 and every #bj days thereafter until 
the completion of military operations1  
the ,president shall submit to          
,congress1 including the ,committee on  
,foreign ,relations of the ,senate and  
the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of  
the ,house of ,representatives1 a report
 on the status of such operations1      
including progress achieved toward the  
objectives specified in section #b7;a71 
the financial costs of operations to    
date1 and an assessment of the impact of
 the operations on the ,syrian regime's 
chemical weapons capabilities and       
intentions4  #h4 ,rule of construction  
,the authority set forth in section #b  

shall not constitute an authorization   
for the use of force or a declaration of
 war except to the extent that it       
authorizes military action under the    
conditions1 for the specific purposes1  
and for the limited period of time set  
forth in this resolution4  ,september   
#f1 #bjac,read twice and placed on the  
calendar