Warren Weinstein Hostage Rescue Act

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Warren Weinstein Hostage Rescue 
Act''.

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 
`Committee').
    ``(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 Investigation.
            ``(G) The Director of National Intelligence.
            ``(H) The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
            ``(I) The Assistant to the President for National Security 
        Affairs.
    ``(3) The functions of the Committee shall include--
            ``(A) coordinating among the departments and agencies of 
        the Federal Government and coordinating 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 effectively 
        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 members 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.
    ``(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 period 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 subparagraph are, 
with respect to a United States person hostage covered by a report 
under subparagraph (A), the Senators 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.
            ``(B) The term `United States person hostage' means a 
        citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted for 
        permanent residence (as defined in section 101(a)(20) of the 
        Immigration and Nationality 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 Congress 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 Advisor serves) 
        as a primary liaison between the Federal Government and the 
        family of a United States person 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 section, or the 
amendment made by this section, shall be construed as authorizing the 
Federal Government to negotiate with a state sponsor of terrorism or an 
organization that 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 Security 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 `Interagency 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 Hostage Recovery 
shall execute the strategies regarding hostage retrieval of the 
Committee on Hostage Recovery.
    ``(d) Elements.--The Interagency Fusion Cell on Hostage Recovery 
shall be composed of officials of the following departments or agencies 
of the Federal Government who are proficient in hostage recovery 
strategy:
            ``(1) The Department of State.
            ``(2) The Department of the Treasury.
            ``(3) The Department of Defense.
            ``(4) The Federal Bureau of Investigation.
            ``(5) The Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
    ``(e) Reporting.--The Interagency Fusion Cell on Hostage Recovery 
shall report to the Committee on Hostage Recovery.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents for such Act is 
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 119B the 
following new item:

``Sec. 119C. Interagency group on hostages.''.

Summary: Warren Weinstein Hostage Rescue Act This bill amends the National Security Act of 1947 to establish: (1) the Committee on Hostage Recovery within the National Security Council (NSC), and (2) the Interagency Fusion Cell on Hostage Recovery which shall execute the Committee's hostage retrieval strategies.  The Committee's functions shall include:   coordinating retrieval of U.S. hostages among federal departments and agencies and among the United States and its allies;  coordinating with the Interagency Fusion Cell on Hostage Recovery;  developing hostage retrieval strategies and guidelines;  developing information sharing policies and procedures; and  developing a strategy to keep family members of U.S. hostages informed, and policies that do not compromise U.S. national security.   It is the sense of Congress that the President should appoint a Special Advisor on Hostage Affairs who: (1) serves as the chair of the NSC Committee on Hostage Recovery; (2) has extensive foreign policy, counterterrorism, and hostage recovery experience; and; (3) serves (or the designee of the Special Advisor serves) as a primary liaison between the federal government and the family of a U.S. hostage.  Nothing in this Act shall be construed as authorizing the federal government to negotiate with a state sponsor of terrorism or a foreign terrorist organization.