,,ii  #aadth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #afeb  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #bc1     
#bjae,mr4 ,cardin 7for himself1 ,mr4    
,cornyn1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 and ,ms4       
,mikulski7 introduced the following     
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations
  ,a ,,bill  ,to designate an existing  
,federal officer to coordinate efforts  
to secure the release of ,united ,states
 persons who are hostages of hostile    
groups or state sponsors of terrorism1  
and for other purposes4  #a4            
,interagency ,hostage ,recovery         
,coordinator  7a7 ,interagency hostage  
recovery coordinator  7#a7 ,in general  
,not later than #fj days after the date 
of the enactment of this ,act1 the      
,president shall designate an existing  
,federal officer to coordinate efforts  
to secure the release of ,united ,states
 persons who are hostages of hostile    
groups or state sponsors of terrorism4  
,for purposes of carrying out the duties

 described in paragraph 7#b71 such      
officer shall have the title of         
,interagency ,hostage ,recovery         
,coordinator4  7#b7 ,duties ,the        
,interagency ,hostage ,recovery         
,coordinator shall have the following   
duties3 7,a7 ,coordinate and direct all 
activities of the ,federal ,government  
relating to each hostage situation      
described in paragraph 7#a7 to ensure   
efforts to secure the release of all    
hostages in a hostage situation are     
properly resourced and correct lines of 
authority are established and           
maintained4  7,b7 ,establish and direct 
a fusion cell consisting of appropriate 
personnel of the ,federal ,government   
with purview over each hostage situation
 described in paragraph 7#a74  7,c7     
,develop a strategy to keep family      
members of hostages described in        
paragraph 7#a7 informed of the status of
 such hostages and inform such family   
members of updates1 procedures1 and     
policies that do not compromise the     

national security of the ,united        
,states4  7b7 ,limitation on authority  
,the authority of the ,interagency      
,hostage ,recovery ,coordinator shall be
 limited to hostage cases outside the   
,united ,states4  7c7 ,quarterly report 
7#a7 ,in general ,on a quarterly basis1 
the ,interagency ,hostage ,recovery     
,coordinator shall submit to the        
appropriate congressional committees and
 the ,members of ,congress described in 
paragraph 7#b7 a report that includes a 
summary of each hostage situation       
described in subsection 7a77#a7 and     
efforts to secure the release of all    
hostages in such hostage situation4     
7#b7 ,members of congress described ,the
 ,members of ,congress described in this
 paragraph are1 with respect to a       
,united ,states person hostage covered  
by a report under paragraph 7#a71 the   
,senators representing the ,state1 and  
the ,member1 ,delegate1 or ,resident    
,commissioner of the ,house of          
,representatives representing the       

district1 where a hostage described in  
subsection 7a77#a7 resides4  7#c7 ,form 
of report ,each report under this       
subsection may be submitted in          
classified or unclassified form4  7d7   
,rule of construction ,nothing in 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 #bai of the ,immigration and
 ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahi7 
or any other hostage-takers4  7e7       
,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7     
,hostile group ,the term hostile group  
means--  7,a7 a group that is designated
 as a foreign terrorist organization    
under section #bai7;a7 of the           
,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h  
,u4,s4,c4 #aahi7;a772  7,b7 a group that
 is engaged in armed conflict with the  
,united ,states2 or  7,c7 any other     
group that the ,president determines to 

be a hostile group for purposes of this 
paragraph4  7#b7 ,state sponsor of      
terrorism ,the term state sponsor of    
terrorism-- 7,a7 means a country the    
government of which the ,secretary of   
,state has determined1 for purposes of  
section #f7;j77#a77;,a7 of the ,export  
,administration ,act of #aigi 7#ej      
,u4,s4,c4 ,app4 #bdje7;j77#a77;,a77 7as 
continued in effect pursuant to the     
,international ,emergency ,economic     
,powers ,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agja et    
seq4771 section #fbj;,a7a7 of the       
,foreign ,assistance ,act of #aifa 7#bb 
,u4,s4,c4 #bcga7;a771 section #dj7;d7 of
 the ,arms ,export ,control ,act 7#bb   
,u4,s4,c4 #bghj7;d771 or any other      
provision of law1 to be a government    
that has repeatedly provided support for
 acts of international terrorism2 and   
7,b7 includes ,north ,korea4