    [United States Senate Manual, 116th Congress]
    [S. Doc. 116-1]
    [Non-statutory Standing Orders and Regulations Affecting the Business of the Senate]
    [Pages 154-158]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

            88                 NATIONAL SECURITY WORKING GROUP

                    Sec. 21. Senate National Security Working Group
                Extension and Revision.
                            (a) Working Group Reconstitution.--
                              (1) In General.--The Senate National Security
                        Working Group (in this section referred to as the
                        ``Working Group''), authorized by Senate Resolution
                        105 of the 101st Congress, 1st session (agreed to on
                        April 13, 1989), as subsequently amended and
                        extended, is hereby reconstituted.
                              (2) Duties.--The Working Group--
                                    (A) shall serve as a forum for
                                bipartisan discussion of current national
                                security issues relating to the
                                jurisdictions of multiple committees of the
                                Senate;
                                    (B) shall conduct regular meetings and
                                maintain records of all meetings and
                                activities;
                                    (C) may authorize members to act as
                                official observers on the United States
                                delegation to any negotiations to which the
                                United Statesis a party regarding--
                                      (i) the reduction, limitation, or
                                control of conventional weapons, weapons of
                                mass destruction, or the means for delivery
                                of any such weapons;
                                      (ii) the reduction, limitation, or
                                control of missile defenses; or
                                      (iii) export controls;
                                    (D) may study any issues related to
                                national security that the majority leader
                                of the Senate and the minority leader of the
                                Senate jointly determine appropriate;
                                    (E) is encouraged to consult with
                                parliamentarians and legislators of foreign
                                nations and to participate in international
                                forums and institutions regarding the
                                matters described in subparagraphs (C) and
                                (D); and
                                    (F) is not authorized to investigate
                                matters relating to espionage or
                                intelligence operations against the United
                                States, counterintelligence operations and
                                activities, or other intelligence matters
                                within the jurisdiction of the Select
                                Committee on Intelligence under Senate
                                Resolution 400 of the 94th Congress, agreed
                                to on May 19, 1976.

    [[Page 155]]

                              (3) Composition.--
                                    (A) In General.--The Working Group shall
                                be composed of 20 members, as follows:
                                      (i) 7 Cochairmen, who shall head the
                                Working Group, as follows:
                                        (I) 4 Members of the Senate from the
                                majority party in the Senate (in this
                                section referredto as the ``Majority
                                Cochairmen''), appointed by the majority
                                leader of the Senate.
                                        (II) 3 Members of the Senate from
                                the minority party in the Senate (in this
                                section referred to as the ``Minority
                                Cochairmen''), appointed by the minority
                                leader of the Senate.
                                      (ii) The majority leader of the Senate
                                and the minority leader of the Senate.
                                      (iii) 5 Members of the Senate from the
                                majority party in the Senate, appointed by
                                the majority leader of the Senate.
                                      (iv) 6 Members of the Senate from the
                                minority party in the Senate, appointed by
                                the minority leader of the Senate.
                                    (B) Administrative Cochairmen.--The
                                majority leader of the Senate shall
                                designate one of the Majority Cochairmen to
                                serve as the Majority Administrative
                                Cochairman, and the minority leader of the
                                Senate shall designate one of the Minority
                                Cochairmen to serve as the Minority
                                Administrative Cochairman.
                                    (C)Publication.--Appointments and
                                designations under this paragraph shall be
                                printed in the Congressional Record.
                              (4) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the Working
                        Group shall be filled in the same manner in which
                        the original appointment was made.
                            (b) Working Group Staff.--
                              (1) Compensation and Expenses.--(A) The
                        Working Group is authorized, from funds made
                        available under subsection (c), to employ such staff
                        in the manner and at a rate not to exceed that
                        allowed for employees of a committee of the Senate
                        under paragraph (3) of section 105(e) of the
                        Legislative Branch Appropriation Act, 1968 (2 U.S.C.
                        61-1(e)), and incur such expenses as may be
                        necessary or appropriate to carry out its duties and
                        functions.

    [[Page 156]]

                                    (B) Senate Resolution 243, 100th
                                Congress, agreed to July 1, 1987, is amended
                                in section 2(b) by striking the period at
                                the end and inserting ``at a rate not to
                                exceed that allowed for employees of a
                                committee of the Senate under paragraph (3)
                                of section 105(e) of the Legislative Branch
                                Appropriation Act, 1968 (2 U.S.C. 61-
                                1(e)).''.
                                    (C) Payments made under this subsection
                                for receptions, meals, and food-related
                                expenses shall be authorized, however, only
                                for those actual expenses incurred by the
                                Working Group in the course of conducting
                                its official duties and functions. Amounts
                                received as reimbursement for such food
                                expenses shall not be reported as income,
                                and the expenses so reimbursed shall not be
                                allowed as a deduction under title 26,
                                United States Code.
                              (2) Designation of Professional Staff.--
                                    (A) In General.--The Majority
                                Administrative Cochairman shall designate
                                one or more professional staff members for
                                each Majority Cochairman of the Working
                                Group, upon recommendations from each such
                                Majority Co-chairman. The Minority
                                Administrative Co-chairman shall designate
                                one or more professional staff members for
                                each Minority Cochairman of the Working
                                Group, upon recommendations from each such
                                Minority Cochairman.
                                    (B) Compensation of Senate Employees.--
                                In the case of the compensation of any such
                                professional staff member who is an employee
                                of a Member of the Senate or of a committee
                                of the Senate and who has been designated to
                                perform services for the Working Group, such
                                professional staff member shall continue to
                                be paid by such Member or such Committee, as
                                the case may be, but the account from which
                                such professional staff member is paid shall
                                be reimbursed for the services of such
                                professionalstaff member (includingagency
                                contributions when appropriate) out of funds
                                made available under subsection (c)(2).

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                                    (C) Duties.--The professional staff
                                members authorized by this paragraph shall
                                serve all members of the Working Group and
                                shall carry out such other functions as
                                their respective Co-chairmen may specify.
                                    (D) Exclusive Participation in Official
                                Activities.--Except as provided in paragraph
                                (4), only designated staff of the Working
                                Group may participate in the official
                                activities of the Working Group.
                              (3) Leadership Staff.--
                                    (A) In General.--The majority leader of
                                the Senate and the minority leader of the
                                Senate may each designate 2 staff members
                                who shall be responsible to the respective
                                leader.
                                    (B) Compensation.--Funds necessary to
                                compensate leadership staff shall be
                                transferred from the funds made available
                                under subsection (c)(3) to the respective
                                account from which such designated staff
                                member is paid.
                              (4) Foreign Travel.--
                                    (A) In General.--All foreign travel of
                                the Working Group shall be authorized solely
                                by the majority leader of the Senate and the
                                minority leader of the Senate, upon the
                                recommendation of the Administrative
                                Cochairmen. Participation by Senate staff
                                members in, and access to, all official
                                activities and functions of the Working
                                Group during foreign travel, and access to
                                all classified briefings and information
                                made available to the Working Group during
                                such travel, shall be limited exclusively to
                                Working Group staff members with appropriate
                                clearances.
                                    (B) Authorization Required.--
                                      (i) Committee Staff.--No foreign
                                travel or other funding shall be authorized
                                by any committee of the Senate for the use
                                of staff for activities described under this
                                paragraph without the joint written
                                authorization of the majority leader of the
                                Senate and the minority leader of the Senate
                                to the chairman of such committee.
                                      (ii) Member Staff.--No foreign travel
                                or other funding shall be authorized for the
                                staff of any Member of the Senate, other
                                than Working Group staff, for activities
                                described under this

    [[Page 158]]

                                paragraph unless the majority leader of the
                                Senate and the minority leader of the Senate
                                jointly so authorize in writing.
                            (c) Payment of Expenses.--
                              (1) In General.--The expenses of the Working
                        Group shall be paid from the contingent fund of the
                        Senate, out of the account of Miscellaneous Items,
                        upon vouchers approved jointly by the Administrative
                        Cochairmen (except that vouchers shall not be
                        required for the disbursement of salaries of
                        employees who are paid at an annual rate).
                              (2) Amounts Available.--For any fiscal year,
                        not more than $500,000 shall be expended for staff
                        and for expenses (excepting expenses incurred for
                        foreign travel), of which not more than $100,000
                        shall be available for each Administrative
                        Cochairman and the staff of such Administrative
                        Cochairman, and not more than $60,000 shall be
                        available for each Cochairman who is not an
                        Administrative Cochairman and the staff of such
                        Cochairman.
                              (3) Leadership Staff.--In addition to the
                        amounts referred to in paragraph (2), for any fiscal
                        year, not more than $200,000 shall be expended from
                        the contingent fund of the Senate, out of the
                        account of Miscellaneous Items, for leadership staff
                        as designated in subsection (b)(3) for salaries and
                        expenses (excepting expenses incurred for foreign
                        travel).
                            (d) Sunset.--The provisions of this section
                        shall remain in effect until December 31, 2020.

                       [S. Res. 64, 113-1, Mar. 5, 2013, as amended Further
                Continuing and Security Assistance Appropriations Act, 2017,
                Pub. L. 114-254, Dec. 10, 2016; as amended Energy and Water,
                  Legislative Branch and Military Construction and Veterans
                Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019, Pub. L. No. 115-244, Sept.
                                                                  21, 2018.]