SEC. 2. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON 
HOSTAGE RECOVERY. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Section 101 of the National 
Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3021) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(m) COMMITTEE
ON HOSTAGE RECOVERY.—(1) 
There is established within the National Security Council 
a committee to be known as the Committee on Hostage 
Recovery (in this subsection referred to as the ‘Com-
mittee’). 
‘‘(2) The Committee shall consist of the following 
members (or designees): 
‘‘(A) An individual who is appointed by the 
President to serve as chair of the Committee. 
‘‘(B) The Secretary of State. 
‘‘(C) The Secretary of the Treasury. 
‘‘(D) The Secretary of Defense. 
‘‘(E) The Attorney General. 
‘‘(F) The Director of the Federal Bureau of In-
vestigation. 
‘‘(G) The Director of National Intelligence. 
‘‘(H) The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 
Staff. 
‘‘(I) The Assistant to the President for Na-
tional Security Affairs. 
‘‘(3) The functions of the Committee shall include— 
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‘‘(A) coordinating among the departments and 
agencies of the Federal Government and coordi-
nating among the United States and the allies of the 
United States regarding retrieval of United States 
person hostages; 
‘‘(B) coordinating with the Interagency Fusion 
Cell on Hostage Recovery; 
‘‘(C) developing strategies and guidelines for 
hostage retrieval and analyzing all options and 
methods of rescue; 
‘‘(D) developing policies and procedures to ef-
fectively share information between departments and 
agencies of the Federal Government responsible for 
activities relating to hostage rescue; and 
‘‘(E) developing a strategy to keep family mem-
bers of United States person hostages informed of 
the status of such hostages and inform such family 
members of updates, procedures, and policies that do 
not compromise the national security of the United 
States. 
‘‘(4) The chair of the Committee may not have duties 
or responsibilities in the Federal Government other than 
such duties or responsibilities relating to serving as the 
chair of the Committee. 
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‘‘(5)(A) On a quarterly basis, the Committee shall 
submit to the appropriate congressional committees and 
the members of Congress described in subparagraph (B) 
a report that includes a summary of— 
‘‘(i) the general activities of the Committee and 
the Interagency Fusion Cell on Hostage Recovery 
during the period covered by the report; and 
‘‘(ii) specific actions conducted during such pe-
riod by the Committee and the Interagency Fusion 
Cell on Hostage Recovery with respect to United 
States person hostages. 
‘‘(B) The members of Congress described in this sub-
paragraph are, with respect to a United States person hos-
tage covered by a report under subparagraph (A), the Sen-
ators representing the State, and the Member, Delegate, 
or Resident Commissioner of the House of Representatives 
representing the district, that includes the United States 
person hostage. 
‘‘(C) Each report under subparagraph (A) may be 
submitted in classified form. 
‘‘(6) In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) The term ‘Interagency Fusion Cell on 
Hostage Recovery’ means the Interagency Fusion 
Cell on Hostage Recovery established by section 
119C of this Act. 
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‘‘(B) The term ‘United States person hostage’ 
means a citizen of the United States or an alien law-
fully admitted for permanent residence (as defined 
in section 101(a)(20) of the Immigration and Na-
tionality Act) who has been abducted or is suspected 
of having been abducted outside of the United 
States or is being held outside of the United 
States.’’. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the President should appoint a Special Advisor 
on Hostage Affairs who— 
(1) serves as the chair of the Committee on 
Hostage Recovery of the National Security Council; 
(2) has extensive experience in foreign policy, 
counterterrorism, and hostage recovery; and 
(3) serves (or the designee of the Special Advi-
sor serves) as a primary liaison between the Federal 
Government and the family of a United States per-
son hostage (as defined in subsection (m) of section 
101 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 
3021), as added by subsection (a) of this section). 
(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion, or the amendment made by this section, shall be con-
strued as authorizing the Federal Government to negotiate 
with a state sponsor of terrorism or an organization that 
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the Secretary of State has designated as a foreign terrorist 
organization pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration 
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189). 
SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY GROUP ON HOSTAGES. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Title I of the National Secu-
rity Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3021 et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 119C. INTERAGENCY GROUP ON HOSTAGES. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established an 
interagency group on hostages to be known as the ‘Inter-
agency Fusion Cell on Hostage Recovery’. 
‘‘(b) DIRECTOR.—The chair of the Committee on 
Hostage Recovery established by section 101(m) of this 
Act shall serve as the director of the Interagency Fusion 
Cell on Hostage Recovery. 
‘‘(c) DUTIES.—The Interagency Fusion Cell on Hos-
tage Recovery shall execute the strategies regarding hos-
tage retrieval of the Committee on Hostage Recovery. 
‘‘(d) ELEMENTS.—The Interagency Fusion Cell on 
Hostage Recovery shall be composed of officials of the fol-
lowing departments or agencies of the Federal Govern-
ment who are proficient in hostage recovery strategy: 
‘‘(1) The Department of State. 
‘‘(2) The Department of the Treasury. 
‘‘(3) The Department of Defense. 
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‘‘(4) The Federal Bureau of Investigation. 
‘‘(5) The Office of the Director of National In-
telligence. 
‘‘(e) REPORTING.—The Interagency Fusion Cell on 
Hostage Recovery shall report to the Committee on Hos-
tage Recovery.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
for such Act is amended by inserting after the item relat-
ing to section 119B the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 119C. Interagency group on hostages.’’. 
Æ 
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