I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5954 
To amend the Rules of the House of Representatives to specify conditions 
under which the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
House of Representatives shall be required to exercise its authority 
to make classified information in its possession available to certain stand-
ing committees of the House, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 28, 2006 
Mr. FLAKE (for himself, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. INGLIS of South Carolina, Mr. 
MCGOVERN, Mr. PAUL, and Mr. MACK) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Rules, and in addition to the 
Select Committee on Intelligence (Permanent Select), for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee con-
cerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Rules of the House of Representatives to 
specify conditions under which the Permanent Select 
Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representa-
tives shall be required to exercise its authority to make 
classified information in its possession available to cer-
tain standing committees of the House, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
20:55 Aug 01, 2006
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5954.IH
H5954
wwhite on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Intelligence Oversight 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF CLASSIFIED INFORMATION IN POS-
SESSION OF HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COM-
MITTEE. 
(a) REQUIRING CERTAIN INFORMATION TO BE MADE 
AVAILABLE
TO
CERTAIN
STANDING
COMMITTEES.— 
Clause 11(g)(3) of rule X of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives is amended— 
(1) in the first sentence of subdivision (B), by 
striking ‘‘as it may prescribe,’’ and inserting ‘‘as it 
may prescribe subject to the requirements of subdivi-
sion (C),’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
divisions: 
‘‘(C) The select committee may not reject a request 
by any standing committee referred to in subdivision (D) 
to make information described in subdivision (A) available 
to such committee if the information relates to any matter 
within the jurisdiction of such committee, unless the infor-
mation reveals sensitive intelligence sources and methods 
or reveals sensitive information related to a covert action 
(as defined in section 503(e) of the National Security Act 
of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 413b(e)). 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
20:55 Aug 01, 2006
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5954.IH
H5954
wwhite on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
‘‘(D) The committees referred to in this subdivision 
are as follows: 
‘‘(i) The Committee on Appropriations. 
‘‘(ii) The Committee on Armed Services. 
‘‘(iii) The Committee on Energy and Com-
merce. 
‘‘(iv) The Committee on Financial Services. 
‘‘(v) The Committee on Government Reform. 
‘‘(vi) The Committee on Homeland Security. 
‘‘(vii) The Committee on International Rela-
tions. 
‘‘(viii) The Committee on the Judiciary. 
‘‘(ix) Any other standing committee designated 
by the Speaker for purposes of this subdivision.’’. 
(b) REQUIRING NOTIFICATION OF STANDING COM-
MITTEES
OF
INFORMATION
WITHIN
JURISDICTION; 
BRIEFING BY MEMBERS SERVING ON BOTH COMMIT-
TEES.—Clause 11(g) of rule X of the Rules of the House 
of Representatives is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(6)(A) If the select committee is provided with infor-
mation described in subparagraph (3)(A) which relates to 
any matter within the jurisdiction of a standing committee 
described in subparagraph (3)(D), the select committee 
shall provide notice to such standing committee not later 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
20:55 Aug 01, 2006
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5954.IH
H5954
wwhite on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
than 7 legislative days after the select committee is pro-
vided with the information, under such regulations as it 
may prescribe in consultation with the Speaker and the 
minority leader. 
‘‘(B) After providing notice under subdivision (A) to 
a standing committee, the members of the select com-
mittee who also serve on such standing committee, in co-
ordination with the chairman of such standing committee, 
shall provide for a briefing of the entire membership of 
such standing committee with respect to the information 
which is the subject of the notice, in accordance with such 
procedures as may be established by the select committee 
and the chairman of such standing committee. Any mem-
ber attending the briefing may be accompanied by a staff 
person in the same manner and under the same terms and 
conditions as provided in subparagraph (3)(B). This sub-
division shall not apply with respect to the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce, the Committee on Financial Serv-
ices, the Committee on Government Reform, or the Com-
mittee on Homeland Security.’’. 
(c) ASSISTANCE
TO STANDING COMMITTEES RE-
QUESTING
BRIEFING
ON
CLASSIFIED
INFORMATION 
HELD BY EXECUTIVE BRANCH OFFICES.—Clause 11(g) 
of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives, 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
20:55 Aug 01, 2006
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5954.IH
H5954
wwhite on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
as amended by subsection (b), is amended by adding at 
the end the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(7) If a standing committee described in subpara-
graph (3)(D) provides the select committee with a copy 
of a request sent by the standing committee to any entity 
in the executive branch for a briefing regarding informa-
tion described in subparagraph (3)(A) which relates to any 
matter within the jurisdiction of the standing committee, 
the select committee shall transmit a written response en-
dorsing the request to the standing committee and the en-
tity in the executive branch, unless the information reveals 
sensitive intelligence sources and methods or reveals sen-
sitive information related to a covert action (as defined 
in section 503(e) of the National Security Act of 1947 
(50 U.S.C. 413b(e)).’’. 
(d) PERMITTING ACCESS TO STAFF ACCOMPANYING 
MEMBER GRANTED ACCESS TO INFORMATION.—Clause 
11(g)(3)(B) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Rep-
resentatives is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: ‘‘A Member to whom information is made available 
under this subdivision and who serves on a standing com-
mittee described in subparagraph (D) may be accom-
panied during the Member’s review of the information by 
one individual who is an employee of the Office of the 
Member or an employee of such standing committee, but 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
20:55 Aug 01, 2006
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5954.IH
H5954
wwhite on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
only if the employee has the appropriate security clearance 
as determined by the select committee (as defined under 
the National Security Act of 1947).’’. 
(e) CONFORMING AMENDMENT RELATING TO OVER-
SIGHT FUNCTIONS.—Clause 3(m) of rule X of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives is amended by adding at 
the end the following: ‘‘Nothing in this paragraph may be 
construed to prohibit any disclosure authorized under 
clause 11 or the disclosure by the select committee of the 
existence of any operation or program which is not a cov-
ert action (as defined in section 503(e) of the National 
Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 413b(e)).’’. 
SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON DENYING INFORMATION TO A 
COMMITTEE RELATING TO THE JURISDIC-
TION OF THAT COMMITTEE. 
Section 501(c) of the National Security Act of 1947 
(50 U.S.C. 413(c)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: ‘‘The congressional intelligence committees shall 
not establish any procedure that denies another committee 
of the House of Representatives or the Senate access to 
information, including classified transcripts, records, data, 
charts, or files, in possession of the congressional intel-
ligence committees if such information relates to the juris-
diction of the other committee, provided that such infor-
mation does not reveal sensitive intelligence sources and 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
20:55 Aug 01, 2006
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5954.IH
H5954
wwhite on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
methods or sensitive information related to a covert ac-
tion.’’. 
SEC. 4. NO EFFECT ON RESTRICTIONS REGARDING HAN-
DLING OF CLASSIFIED INFORMATION. 
Nothing in this Act or any amendment made by this 
Act may be construed to affect any provision of law or 
any rule or regulation governing the handling of classified 
information which is authorized to be made available to 
any individual, including the application of existing crimi-
nal and civil penalties and sanctions under the House 
Rules providing for censure, removal from committee 
membership, or expulsion from the House for a Member 
or removal from employment for staff who have engaged 
in unauthorized disclosure of intelligence or intelligence- 
related information. 
Æ 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
20:55 Aug 01, 2006
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H5954.IH
H5954
wwhite on PROD1PC76 with BILLS