    [United States Senate Manual, 118th Congress]
    [S. Doc. 118-1]
    [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.