BILL NUMBER: SJR 17INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Senator Anderson SEPTEMBER 5, 2013 Relative to the Syrian government. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SJR 17, as introduced, Anderson. Syrian government: military action. This measure would urge President Barack Obama to obtain congressional authorization prior to using military force against the Assad regime in Syria in accordance with the United States Constitution, and would urge United States Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein to request that the President obtain congressional approval prior to taking military action against the Assad regime in Syria. Fiscal committee: no. WHEREAS, Clause 11 of Section 8 of Article I of the United States Constitution grants exclusive power to Congress to declare war; and WHEREAS, Neither the Syrian Government nor President Bashar Al-Assad has directly attacked any vital security interests of the United States; and WHEREAS, Legitimate uncertainty exists as to what the character and makeup of a post-President Al-Assad Syrian regime will be; and WHEREAS, The American people through their chosen Congressional Representatives should have their constitutional rights defended in order to determine the true necessity of escalated United States military involvement; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature of the State of California, on behalf of its citizens, urges President Barack Obama to obtain congressional authorization prior to using military force against the Assad regime in Syria; and be it further Resolved, That United States Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein request that President Barack Obama obtains congressional authorization prior to any military action against the Assad regime in Syria; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the author for appropriate distribution.