S. 291: Strengthening Oversight of National Security Act of 2017

115th Congress · introduced 2017-02-02 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Select Committee on Intelligence.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2017-02-02 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Select Committee on Intelligence. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Strengthening Oversight of National Security Act of 2017

Plain summary

Strengthening Oversight of National Security Act of 2017 This bill amends the National Security Act of 1947 to add the Director of National Intelligence and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as statutorily required members of the National Security Council (NSC). (The current NSC members required by statute are the President, the Vice President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Energy.) The bill prohibits the President from designating as additional members or attendees of the NSC any individuals in positions that are not subject to Senate confirmation (excluding the National Security Advisor and deputies, the Homeland Security Advisor and deputies, the Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, the Counsel to the President, the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, and the Assistant to the Vice President for National Security) unless Congress approves of the designation through enactment of a joint resolution or a bill. The cabinet-level interagency forum for policy consideration and decision-making that supports the NSC must reflect the membership of the NSC and any Senate-confirmed member of the executive branch designated by the President. Exceptions to this forum composition are permitted for a one-time decision-making action, but the President must notify Congress within 24 hours after execution of such an exception.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Strengthening Oversight of National Security Act of 2017

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] · 7 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] reported raising $20.2 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (4)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Joint resolution: In Texas, the type of measure the Legislature uses to propose a constitutional amendment (marked HJR or SJR). The governor does not sign or veto it; the voters decide. In Congress a joint resolution can also be used like a bill. In Florida, a joint resolution passed by three-fifths of the members of each chamber puts a constitutional amendment on the ballot.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.
Statute: A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115s291.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/s>

Record fed-us-cong115-s291 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115