[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 84 (Thursday, May 26, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3304-S3305]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4252. Mr. TESTER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 2943, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2017 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 I of title X, add the following:

     SEC. 1097. REVIEW AND UPDATE OF GUIDANCE REGARDING SECURITY 
                   CLEARANCES FOR CERTAIN SENATE EMPLOYEES.

       (a) Definitions.--In this section--
       (1) the term ``covered committee of the Senate'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
       (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
       (C) the Subcommittee on Defense of the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the Senate;
       (D) the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and 
     Related Programs of the Committee on Appropriations of the 
     Senate;
       (E) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
     Affairs of the Senate; and
       (F) the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate;
       (2) the term ``covered Member of the Senate'' means a 
     Member of the Senate who serves on a covered committee of the 
     Senate; and
       (3) the term ``Senate employee'' means an employee whose 
     pay is disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate.
       (b) Review of Procedures.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Director of Senate Security, in 
     coordination with the Director of National Intelligence and 
     the Chairperson of the Suitability and Security Clearance 
     Performance Accountability Council established under 
     Executive Order 13467 (73 Fed. Reg. 38103), shall--
       (A) conduct a review of whether procedures in effect enable 
     1 Senate employee designated by each covered Member of the 
     Senate to obtain security clearances necessary for access to 
     classified national security information, including top 
     secret and sensitive

[[Page S3305]]

     compartmentalized information, if the Senate employee meets 
     the criteria for such clearances; and
       (B) if the Director of Senate Security, in coordination 
     with the Director of National Intelligence and the 
     Chairperson of the Suitability and Security Clearance 
     Performance Accountability Council established under 
     Executive Order 13467 (73 Fed. Reg. 38103), determines the 
     procedures described in subparagraph (A) are inadequate, 
     issue guidelines on the establishment and implementation of 
     such procedures.
       (2) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Director of Senate Security shall 
     submit to each covered committee of the Senate a report 
     regarding the review conducted under paragraph (1)(A) and 
     guidance, if any, issued under paragraph (1)(B).
       (c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
     construed to alter--
       (1) the rule of the Information Security Oversight Office 
     implementing Standard Form 312, which Members of Congress 
     sign in order to be permitted to access classified 
     information;
       (2) the requirement that Members of the Senate satisfy the 
     ``need-to-know'' requirement to access classified 
     information;
       (3) the scope of the jurisdiction of any committee or 
     subcommittee of the Senate; or
       (4) the inherent authority of the executive branch of the 
     Government, the Office of Senate Security, any Committee of 
     the Senate, or the Department of Defense to determine 
     recipients of all classified information.
                                 ______