[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.

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                          (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

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                            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.]