[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 92 (Wednesday, June 10, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S4035]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 1979. Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Ms. Mikulski, Mrs. 
Shaheen, 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, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which 
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle G of title X, add the following:

     SEC. 1085. INTERAGENCY HOSTAGE RECOVERY COORDINATOR.

       (a) Interagency Hostage Recovery Coordinator.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the President shall designate an 
     existing Federal officer to coordinate efforts to secure the 
     release of United States persons who are hostages of hostile 
     groups or state sponsors of terrorism. For purposes of 
     carrying out the duties described in paragraph (2), such 
     officer shall have the title of ``Interagency Hostage 
     Recovery Coordinator''.
       (2) Duties.--The Interagency Hostage Recovery Coordinator 
     shall have the following duties:
       (A) Coordinate and direct all activities of the Federal 
     Government relating to each hostage situation described in 
     paragraph (1) to ensure efforts to secure the release of all 
     hostages in a hostage situation are properly resourced and 
     correct lines of authority are established and maintained.
       (B) Establish and direct a fusion cell consisting of 
     appropriate personnel of the Federal Government with purview 
     over each hostage situation described in paragraph (1).
       (C) Develop a strategy to keep family members of hostages 
     described in paragraph (1) informed of the status of such 
     hostages and inform such family members of updates, 
     procedures, and policies that do not compromise the national 
     security of the United States.
       (b) Limitation on Authority.--The authority of the 
     Interagency Hostage Recovery Coordinator shall be limited to 
     hostage cases outside the United States.
       (c) Quarterly Report.--
       (1) In general.--On a quarterly basis, the Interagency 
     Hostage Recovery Coordinator shall submit to the appropriate 
     congressional committees and the members of Congress 
     described in paragraph (2) a report that includes a summary 
     of each hostage situation described in subsection (a)(1) and 
     efforts to secure the release of all hostages in such hostage 
     situation.
       (2) Members of congress described.--The members of Congress 
     described in this paragraph are, with respect to a United 
     States person hostage covered by a report under paragraph 
     (1), the Senators representing the State, and the Member, 
     Delegate, or Resident Commissioner of the House of 
     Representatives representing the district, where a hostage 
     described in subsection (a)(1) resides.
       (3) Form of report.--Each report under this subsection may 
     be submitted in classified or unclassified form.
       (d) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
     construed as authorizing the Federal Government to negotiate 
     with a state sponsor of terrorism or an organization that the 
     Secretary of State has designated as a foreign terrorist 
     organization pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189) or any other hostage-takers.
       (e) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Hostile group.--The term ``hostile group'' means--
       (A) a group that is designated as a foreign terrorist 
     organization under section 219(a) of the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189(a));
       (B) a group that is engaged in armed conflict with the 
     United States; or
       (C) any other group that the President determines to be a 
     hostile group for purposes of this paragraph.
       (2) State sponsor of terrorism.--The term ``state sponsor 
     of terrorism''--
       (A) means a country the government of which the Secretary 
     of State has determined, for purposes of section 6(j) of the 
     Export Administration Act of 1979, section 620A of the 
     Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, section 40 of the Arms Export 
     Control Act, or any other provision of law, to be a 
     government that has repeatedly provided support for acts of 
     international terrorism; and
       (B) includes North Korea.
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