{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/sconres16-114/featured_a-concurrent-resolution-stating-the-policy-of-the-united-states-regarding-the-release-of-united-states-citizens-1454550063.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/sconres16-114/featured_large_a-concurrent-resolution-stating-the-policy-of-the-united-states-regarding-the-release-of-united-states-citizens-1454550063.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/sconres16-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2015-05-07","title_override":"Calling for the Release of U.S. Citizens Imprisoned in Iran","summary_override":"

Update January 16, 2016: Iran released three of the American prisoners listed here as part of a prisoner exchange involving seven Iranians who were held for sanctions violations. Saeed Abedini, Amir Hekmati, and Jason Rezaian were released along with one other American.
This concurrent resolution outlines U.S. policy regarding American citizens being held as prisoners in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

It calls for Iran to immediately release three U.S. citizens that are being held as prisoners, and cooperate with the U.S. in locating and returning Robert Levinson who is presumed to be a fourth prisoner. Further, it states that the U.S. should undertake every effort using every diplomatic tool at its disposal to secure their immediate release. Among U.S. citizens being held as prisoners in Iran are:

Saeed Abedini of Idaho, who has been detained in Iran since 2012 on charges related to his work and beliefs as a Christian pastor.
Amir Hekmati of Michigan, a former U.S. Marine who was detained in 2011 while visiting his Iranian relatives and was sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage.
Jason Rezaian of California, who is a Washington Post journalist that was granted credentials by the Iranian government. He was detained in 2014 and has been held without trial.
Robert Levinson of Florida, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) official who disappeared in Iran in 2007 and is presumed to be a prisoner. He is the longest held U.S. citizen overseas in American history.

As a concurrent resolution, this bill (even if it passes both chambers) does not have the same powers as a law. These measures are non-binding, don't require presidential approval, and are generally used to formally recognize something.

","official_title":"A concurrent resolution stating the policy of the United States regarding the release of United States citizens in Iran.","short_title":null,"popular_title":null,"short_summary":"(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)\n\nStates that it is U.S. policy that: (1) the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran should immediately release Saeed Abedini, Amir Hekmati, and Jason Rezaian, and cooperate with the U.S. government to locate and return Robert Levinson; and (2) the U.S. government should undertake every effort using every diplomatic tool at its disposal to secure their release.","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable. ","impact":"U.S. citizens who are held as prisoners or are missing in Iran, diplomatic relations with Iran, Congress, and the bodies of government that are motivated to action by what Congress does. ","argument_for":"The U.S. must be assertive in negotiating the release of its citizens when they have been wrongfully detained overseas — passing this resolution would show the intent of the U.S. government to accomplish that. ","argument_against":"It seems unlikely that Iran will release these prisoners simply because Congress passed a resolution. They are going to play hardball, look for other concessions, and using prisoners in the nuclear talks could kill negotiations. ","bill_type":"sconres","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"sconres16-114","bill_id":"sconres16-114","formal_id":"S. Con. Res. 16","chamber":"senate","congress":114,"last_action_at":"2015-05-20T00:00:00.000Z","active":true,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":"2015-05-11T00:00:00.000Z","debated_on":null,"congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/senate-concurrent-resolution/16","plain_text_url":"http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-114sconres16rfh/html/BILLS-114sconres16rfh.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/sconres16-114.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/senate-concurrent-resolution/16/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2015-05-07","related_bill_ids":[],"progress":"Passed Senate","house_passage_result":false,"senate_passage_result":true,"position_count":383,"committees":[{"name":"Committee on Foreign Affairs","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSFA","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSFA13","subcommittee":true}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=sconres16-114","details":"/api/bills/sconres16-114/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/sconres16-114","positionsFor":"/api/bills/sconres16-114/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/sconres16-114/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":18,"slug":"sconres16-114-a-concurrent-resolution-stating-the-policy-of-the-united-states-regarding-the-release-of-united-states-citizens-in-iran","latest_chamber_votes_id":"sconres16-114","official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":7050,"yea_vote_count":5947,"nay_vote_count":1096,"passed_house":false,"passed_senate":true,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["defense","international-trade-and-affairs"],"issue_ids":["defense","military","international-trade-and-affairs","nuclear-energy","war","iran","nuclear-weapons"],"sponsor_id":78}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"defense","name":"Defense","slug":"defense","description":"Federal legislation related to Defense spending, the active duty military, intelligence activities, war powers and veterans’ care. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about.","page_title":"US Armed forces and Defense related Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/defense/black_defense-1429042040.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/defense/grey_defense-1429042040.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/defense/white_defense-1429042040.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"military","name":"Military","slug":"military","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Military . Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. \r\n","page_title":"Military Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/military/black_military-1429042060.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/military/grey_military-1429042060.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/military/white_military-1429042060.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"international-trade-and-affairs","name":"International Trade & Affairs","slug":"international-trade-and-affairs","description":"U.S. Congressional Legislation encompassing arms control treaties, human rights, international law, sanctions, and foreign aid. Recent legislation addressed approving the use of military force against ISIS (ISIL) in Iraq and Syria, the emerging situation in the Ukraine and Ebola. ","page_title":"US Federal legislation related to Foreign Aid, International Trade and Relations and Human Rights - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/international-trade-and-affairs/black_international-trade-and-affairs-1429042060.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/international-trade-and-affairs/grey_international-trade-and-affairs-1429042060.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/international-trade-and-affairs/white_international-trade-and-affairs-1429042060.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"nuclear-energy","name":"Nuclear Energy","slug":"nuclear-energy","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Nuclear Energy. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. ","page_title":"Nuclear Energy Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/nuclear-energy/black_nuclear-energy-1430397810.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/nuclear-energy/grey_nuclear-energy-1430397810.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/nuclear-energy/white_nuclear-energy-1430397810.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"war","name":"War","slug":"war","description":"All is fair in love and war? Have your say in the latter. Tell your congressperson how you feel about current legislation related to war!","page_title":"War Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/war/black_war-1429042061.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/war/grey_war-1429042061.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/war/white_war-1429042061.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"iran","name":"Iran","slug":"iran","description":"Should the U.S. sanction or negotiate with Iran? Tell your congressperson how you feel about current legislation related to U.S.-Iran relations!","page_title":"Legislation preventing Iran from acquiring Nuclear Weapons, imposting sanctions","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/iran/black_iran-1429042047.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/iran/grey_iran-1429042047.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/iran/white_iran-1429042047.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"nuclear-weapons","name":"Nuclear Weapons","slug":"nuclear-weapons","description":"As one of the five recognized nuclear powers of the world, the U.S. plays a prominent role in maintaining nuclear peace. Tell your congressperson how you feel about current legislation related to nuclear weapons!","page_title":"Nuclear Weapons Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/nuclear-weapons/black_nuclear-weapons-1429042055.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/nuclear-weapons/grey_nuclear-weapons-1429042055.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/nuclear-weapons/white_nuclear-weapons-1429042055.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"Jacob","vote_count":34,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/10206516652048261/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/10206516652048261/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/10206516652048261/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/10206516652048261/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/zm8V3nvW/following","followers":"/api/users/zm8V3nvW/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":18,"is_following":null,"influence_score":735,"influence_level":30,"follower_count":1,"following_count":1,"position_count":25,"id":"zm8V3nvW","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"f89d7a60-5406-4cc3-81c9-d8fe5af04eb7","argument_for":"Fuck Iran. Bring our citizens home. We should defend Americans wrongly accused around the world and deal with their actions in our own nation. No one should be imprisoned halfway around the world. ","argument_against":null,"show_argument_for":true,"show_argument_against":false,"upvote_count":0,"upvotes_for_count":0,"upvotes_against_count":null,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":0,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/f89d7a60-5406-4cc3-81c9-d8fe5af04eb7"},"body":"Fuck Iran. Bring our citizens home. We should defend Americans wrongly accused around the world and deal with their actions in our own nation. No one should be imprisoned halfway around the world. ","stance":"yea","created_at":"2016-01-19T05:34:29.307Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/f89d7a60-5406-4cc3-81c9-d8fe5af04eb7.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"sconres16-114","user_id":"zm8V3nvW","endorser_ids":[]}}

Like Causes?

Jacob

Calling for the Release of U.S. Citizens Imprisoned in Iran