[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 89 (Thursday, June 4, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S3788]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 1628. Ms. AYOTTE (for herself, Mr. Peters, Mr. Graham, and Mr. 
Rubio) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 
1463 proposed by Mr. McCain to the bill H.R. 1735, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2016 for military activities of the 
Department of Defense and for military construction, to prescribe 
military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other 
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       Strike section 1272, and insert the following:

     SEC. 1272. UNITED STATES-ISRAEL ANTI-TUNNEL COOPERATION.

       (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Tunnels can be used for criminal purposes, such as 
     smuggling drugs, weapons, or humans, or for terrorist or 
     military purposes, such as launching surprise attacks or 
     detonating explosives underneath civilian or military 
     infrastructure.
       (2) Tunnels have been a growing threat on the southern 
     border of the United States for years.
       (3) In the conflict in Gaza in 2014, terrorists used 
     tunnels to conduct attacks against Israel.
       (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) it is in the national security interests of the United 
     States to develop technology to detect and counter tunnels, 
     and the best way to do this is to partner with other affected 
     countries;
       (2) the Administration should, on a joint basis with 
     Israel, carry out research, development, test, and evaluation 
     of anti-tunnel capabilities to detect, map, and neutralize 
     underground tunnels into and directed at the territory of 
     Israel; and
       (3) the Administration should use developed anti-tunnel 
     capabilities to better protect the United States and deployed 
     United States military personnel.
       (c) Assistance to Israel To Establish Anti-tunnel 
     Capabilities.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense, upon request of 
     the Ministry of Defense of Israel, is authorized to carry out 
     research, development, test, and evaluation, on a joint basis 
     with Israel, to establish anti-tunnel capabilities to detect, 
     map, and neutralize underground tunnels into and directed at 
     the territory of Israel. Such authority includes authority to 
     construct facilities and install equipment necessary to carry 
     out research, development, test, and evaluation so 
     authorized.
       (2) Certification.--The activities described in paragraphs 
     (1) and (3) may be carried out after the Secretary of Defense 
     certifies to Congress the following:
       (A) The Secretary has finalized a memorandum of 
     understanding or other formal agreement between the United 
     States and Israel regarding sharing of research and 
     development costs for the capabilities described in paragraph 
     (1).
       (B) The understanding or agreement--
       (i) requires sharing of costs of projects, including in-
     kind support, between the United States and Israel;
       (ii) establishes a framework to negotiate the rights to any 
     intellectual property developed under the cooperative 
     research and development projects; and
       (iii) requires the United States Government to receive 
     quarterly reports on expenditure of funds, if any, by the 
     Government of Israel, including a description of what the 
     funds have been used for, when funds were expended, and an 
     identification of entities that expended the funds.
       (3) Assistance.--The Secretary of Defense, upon request of 
     the Government of Israel, is authorized to provide 
     procurement, maintenance, and sustainment assistance to 
     Israel in support of the anti-tunnel capabilities research, 
     development, test, and evaluation activities authorized in 
     paragraph (1).
       (d) Reports.--
       (1) Initial report.--The Secretary of Defense shall submit 
     to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that 
     contains a copy of the memorandum of understanding and other 
     documents between the United States and Israel as described 
     in subsection (c)(2).
       (2) Quarterly reports.--The Secretary shall submit to the 
     appropriate committees of Congress on a quarterly basis a 
     report that contains a copy of the most recent quarterly 
     report provided by the Government of Israel to the Department 
     of Defense pursuant to subsection (c)(2)(B)(iii).
       (e) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' 
     means--
       (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations, the Committee on Homeland Security, and 
     the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
       (2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
     Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Homeland Security, and the 
     Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
                                 ______