[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 48 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. J. RES. 48

 To provide for the establishment of a Joint Committee on Intelligence.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 5, 1993

   Mr. Solomon introduced the following joint resolution; which was 
                   referred to the Committee on Rules

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
 To provide for the establishment of a Joint Committee on Intelligence.

    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled,



SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT.

    There shall be established, at the beginning of the first Congress 
beginning after the date of the enactment of this joint resolution, a 
Joint Committee on Intelligence (hereafter in this resolution referred 
to as the ``joint committee'').

SEC. 2. MEMBERSHIP.

    (a) Appointment.--
            (1) In general.--The joint committee shall be composed of 
        seven Members of the Senate and seven Members of the House of 
        Representatives to be appointed as follows:
                    (A) Four members of the Senate from the majority 
                party and three Members of the Senate from the minority 
                party shall be appointed by the President pro tempore 
                of the Senate, including at least one but not more than 
                two members from each of the following committees: the 
                Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
                Foreign Relations.
                    (B) Four members of the House of Representatives 
                from the majority party and three Members of the House 
                of Representatives from the minority party shall be 
                appointed by the Speaker of the House, including at 
                least one but not more than two members from each of 
                the following committees: the Committee on Armed 
                Services and the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
            (2) Ex officio members.--The majority leader and minority 
        leader of the House of Representatives and the majority leader 
        and minority leader of the Senate shall be ex officio members 
        of the joint committee, but shall have no vote in the joint 
        committee and shall not be counted for purposes of determining 
        a quorum.
    (b) Length of Service on Joint Committee.--
            (1) General rule.--Members of the joint committee shall be 
        appointed to six year terms.
            (2) Exceptions.--(A) Of the members of the joint committee 
        initially appointed, two Members from the Senate, one from each 
        party, and two Members of the House of Representatives, one 
        from each party, shall be appointed to a term of two years.
            (B) Of the members of the joint committee initially 
        appointed, two Members from the Senate, one from each party, 
        and two Members of the House of Representatives, one from each 
        party, shall be appointed to a term of four years.
            (3) Limitations on continuous service.--(A) Except as 
        provided in subparagraph (B), the maximum period of continuous 
        service for a Member of Congress on the joint committee shall 
        be six years.
            (B)(i) A member who begins service on the joint committee 
        as a replacement for a member who has more than three years 
        remaining in his term may serve continuously only for the 
        remainder of such term.
            (ii) A member who begins service on the joint committee as 
        a replacement for a member who has less than three years 
        remaining in his term may serve continuously for the remainder 
        of such term plus one subsequent six year term.
            (iii) A member appointed to a term described in paragraph 
        (2) may serve continuously only for the remainder of such term.
    (c) Vacancies.--Vacancies in the membership of the joint committee 
shall not affect the power of the remaining members to execute the 
functions of the joint committee, and shall be filled in the same 
manner as in the case of the original appointment, for terms as 
provided in subsection (b).
    (d) Chairman and Vice Chairman.--The joint committee shall have a 
chairman and a vice chairman. The vice chairman shall act in the place 
and stead of the chairman in the absence of the chairman. The 
chairmanship and the vice chairmanship of the joint committee shall 
alternate between the Senate and the House of Representatives with each 
session of a Congress. The chairman during each odd-numbered year shall 
be selected by the Members of the House of Representatives on the joint 
committee from among their number and the chairman during each even-
numbered year shall be selected by the Members of the Senate on the 
joint committee from among their number. The vice chairman during each 
session of a Congress shall be chosen in the same manner from that 
House of Congress other than the House of Congress of which the 
chairman is a Member.
    (e) Quorum.--Eight members of the joint committee shall constitute 
a quorum for reporting any recommendation.

SEC. 3. DUTIES.

    (a) Jurisdiction.--The joint committee shall exercise exclusive 
legislative jurisdiction with respect to--
            (1) any intelligence or counterintelligence activity 
        conducted by any intelligence-gathering agency or department of 
        the Federal Government; and
            (2) authorizations for appropriations, both direct and 
        indirect, for--
                    (A) the Central Intelligence Agency and Director of 
                Central Intelligence;
                    (B) the Defense Intelligence Agency;
                    (C) the National Security Agency; and
                    (D) the intelligence, counterintelligence, and 
                intelligence-related activities of other agencies and 
                departments of the Federal Government, including the 
                Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the 
                Federal Bureau of Investigation.
    (b) Oversight of Intelligence Activities.--The joint committee 
shall review and study on a continuing basis any intelligence or 
counterintelligence activity conducted by any agency or department of 
the Federal Government.

SEC. 4. POWERS.

    (a) General Powers.--The joint committee, or any duly authorized 
subcommittee thereof, is authorized to sit and act at such places and 
times during the sessions, recesses, and adjourned periods of the 
Congress, to require by subpoena the attendance of such witnesses and 
the production of such books, papers, and documents, to administer such 
oaths and affirmations, to take such testimony, to procure such 
printing and binding, and to make such expenditures, as it considers 
advisable.
    (b) Subpoenas.--Subpoenas may be issued over the signature of the 
chairman of the joint committee or of any member designated by the 
chairman or by the joint committee to the extent the chairman or such 
member is authorized by a majority of the joint committee to issue such 
subpoenas, and may be served by any person designated by such chairman 
or member.
    (c) Oaths or Affirmations.--The chairman of the joint committee or 
any member thereof may administer oaths or affirmations to witnesses.

SEC. 5. RULES OF JOINT COMMITTEE.

    The joint committee shall establish and carry out such rules and 
procedures as it considers necessary and appropriate--
            (1) respecting its organization and procedures;
            (2) to classify information originating within the joint 
        committee, and the records of the joint committee, in 
        accordance with standards used generally by the executive 
        branch of the Federal Government for the classification of 
        information;
            (3) to prevent the unauthorized disclosure, outside the 
        joint committee, of any information in the possession of the 
        joint committee;
            (4) to censure or expel from the joint committee a member 
        of the joint committee found to be responsible for the 
        unauthorized disclosure of any information in the possession of 
        the joint committee, with adequate time for appeal by such 
        member to the House of Congress of which such member is a 
        Member;
            (5) to recommend to the Senate or the House of 
        Representatives, as the case may be, that a member of the joint 
        committee found to be responsible for the unauthorized 
        disclosure of any information in the possession of the joint 
        committee be censured or expelled by the Senate or the House of 
        Representatives;
            (6) to make any information in the possession of the joint 
        committee available to any other committee or Member of the 
        Congress;
            (7) to seek authority, after written notification to the 
        President and a one week period for the President to respond to 
        the Congress, from the Senate and the House of Representatives 
        for the disclosure of sensitive information if the joint 
        committee finds such disclosure to be in the National interest;
            (8) to appoint, prescribe the duties and responsibilities 
        of, fix the pay of, require appropriate security clearances 
        for, and establish conditions for the termination of employment 
        of, professional staff members and clerical staff members; and
            (9) to govern the manner in which information and records 
        of the joint committee shall be used by the staff.

SEC. 6. PROHIBITION AGAINST DISCLOSURE BY MEMBER.

    No Member of Congress who, and no committee which, receives any 
information from the joint committee shall disclose such information 
without proper authorization, except in a closed session of the House 
of Representatives or the Senate.

SEC. 7. EXPENSES.

    The expenses of the joint committee shall be paid one-half from the 
contingent fund of the House of Representatives and one-half from the 
contingent fund of the Senate, from funds appropriated for the joint 
committee, upon vouchers approved by the chairman of the joint 
committee.

SEC. 8. REFERENCES TO INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEES.

    Any reference in law to the Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
Senate or to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
House of Representatives shall, after the establishment of the joint 
committee, be considered to be a reference to the joint committee.

                                 <all>