[United States Senate Manual, 116th Congress]
[S. Doc. 116-1]
[Standing Rules of the Senate]
[Pages 56-57]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


        29                            RULE XXIX

                                 EXECUTIVE SESSIONS

      29.1      1. When the President of the United States shall meet 
            the Senate in the Senate Chamber for the consideration of 
            Executive business, he shall have a seat on the right of the 
            Presiding Officer. When the Senate shall be convened by the 
            President of the United States to any other place, the 
            Presiding Officer of the Senate and the Senators shall 
            attend at the place appointed, with the necessary officers 
            of the Senate.
      29.2      2. When acting upon confidential or Executive business, 
            unless the same shall be considered in open Executive 
            session, the Senate Chamber shall be cleared of all persons 
            except the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary, the Principal 
            Legislative Clerk, the Parliamentarian, the Executive Clerk, 
            the Minute and Journal Clerk, the Sergeant at Arms, the 
            Secretaries to the Majority and the Minority, and such other 
            officers as the Presiding Officer shall think necessary; and 
            all such officers shall be sworn to secrecy.
      29.3      3. All confidential communications made by the President 
            of the United States to the Senate shall be by the Senators 
            and the officers of the Senate kept secret; and all treaties 
            which may be laid before the Senate, and all remarks, votes, 
            and proceedings thereon shall also be kept secret, until the 
            Senate shall, by their resolution, take off the injunction 
            of secrecy.
      29.4      4. Whenever the injunction of secrecy shall be removed 
            from any part of the proceedings of the Senate in closed 
            Executive or legislative session, the order of the Senate 
            removing the same shall be entered in the Legislative 
            Journal as well as in the Executive Journal, and shall be 
            published in the Congressional Record under the direction of 
            the Secretary of the Senate.

[[Page 57]]


      29.5      5.\39\ Any Senator, officer or employee of the Senate 
            who shall disclose the secret or confidential business or 
            proceedings of the Senate, including the business and 
            proceedings of the committees, subcommittees and offices of 
            the Senate shall be liable, if a Senator, to suffer 
            expulsion from the body; and if an officer or employee, to 
            dismissal from the service of the Senate, and to punishment 
            for contempt.
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                \39\ As amended by S. Res. 363, 102-2, Oct. 8, 1992.
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      29.6      6. Whenever, by the request of the Senate or any 
            committee thereof, any documents or papers shall be 
            communicated to the Senate by the President or the head of 
            any department relating to any matter pending in the Senate, 
            the proceedings in regard to which are secret or 
            confidential under the rules, said documents and papers 
            shall be considered as confidential, and shall not be 
            disclosed without leave of the Senate.