Bipartisan Representatives Seek to Create Helsinki-Style Commission for the JCPOA

Press Release

Congressman Gerry Connolly (VA-11) introduced bipartisan legislation to create a Congressional-Executive commission to oversee the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Connolly was joined by Representatives Jim Langevin, Steve Israel, Gregory Meeks, Bill Foster, Ami Bera, Kathleen Rice, Dan Kildee, John Delaney, David Cicilline, and Richard Hanna.

The Commission will include 16 Members of Congress (8 from the Senate and 8 from the House of Representatives) and 4 representatives from the Executive Branch (representing the Department of State, Department of Defense, Department of the Treasury, and Department of Energy). Commissioners will be appointed by the respective Chamber leadership, the leadership of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the President.

The Commission to Verify Iranian Nuclear Compliance is modeled after the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, which was created in 1976 to monitor compliance with the Helsinki Final Act. Despite initial pushback from the Nixon Administration, the Helsinki Commission has served as an oversight model and is still actively carrying out its mission nearly 40 years after it was established.

"As the only Ph.D. physicist in Congress, I have taken very seriously my responsibility to review the technical aspects of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. As we begin to implement this agreement, it will be imperative that we are able to continuously verify Iran's compliance," said Rep. Foster (IL-11). "The Commission to Verify Iranian Nuclear Compliance will not only ensure that Congress has continued oversight over the implementation of this agreement, but will reinforce the coordination between Congress and the Executive Branch."

Source