,,ii #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #adfd ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,august #a1 #bjac ,mrs4 ,shaheen 7for herself and ,mr4 ,risch7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to facilitate and enhance the declassification of information that merits declassification1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,preserving ,american ,access to ,information ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,the #aiid ,joint ,security ,commission1 convened at the request of the ,secretary of ,defense and the ,director of the ,central ,intelligence ,agency stated that the classification system1 largely unchanged since the ,eisenhower administration has grown out of control4 ,more information is being classified and for extended periods of time4 ,security rules proliferate1 becoming more complex yet remaining unrelated to the threat4 ''' ,indeed1 the classification system is not trusted on the inside any more than it is on the outside4 ,insiders do not trust it to protect information that needs protection4 ,outsiders do not trust it to release information that does not need protection4 7#b7 ,the ,public ,interest ,declassification ,board1 notes in its #bjab report that agencies are currently creating petabytes of classified information annually1 which quickly outpaces the amount of information the ,government has declassified in total in the previous seventeen years since ,executive ,order #abieh established the policy of automatic declassification for #be year old records4 ,without dramatic improvement in the declassification process1 the rate at which classified records are being created will drive an exponential growth in the archival backlog of classified records awaiting declassification1 and public access to the nation's history will deteriorate further4 #c4 ,declassification of information with short-term classification sensitivity 7a7 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,certain information1 typically at the predecisional1 tactical1 or operational level1 is classified based on its sensitivity with respect to a pertinent event4 ,following the event1 the vast majority of the associated details are no longer sensitive and no longer need be classified4 7#b7 ,this type of time-specific classified information should be identified and marked at the time of classification for automatic declassification without further review4 7b7 ,specification of information ,to be declassified automatically 7#a7 ,in general ,the heads of ,federal agencies with authority to classify information shall1 in consultation with the ,information ,security ,oversight ,office1 specify the types of information with short-lived sensitivity that could be automatically declassified without further review4 7#b7 ,exclusion from specification ,the types of information specified pursuant to paragraph 7#a7 shall exclude the following3 7,a7 ,information on the sources1 methods1 tactics1 tradecraft1 and procedures of members of the ,armed ,forces1 personnel of the intelligence community1 or other personnel performing associated or similar security functions or activities for the ,united ,states ,government4 7,b7 ,any other information that could endanger the military1 intelligence1 diplomatic1 or law enforcement personnel1 operations1 or capabilities of the ,united ,states4 7#c7 ,report ,the heads of ,federal agencies described in paragraph 7#a7 shall submit to ,congress a report setting forth the following3 7,a7 ,the types of information specified under paragraph 7#a74 7,b7 ,an assessment of the feasibility of implementing a new classification category for the types of information specified in that paragraph4 7,c7 ,recommendations1 if appropriate1 for legislative action to implement the automatic declassification of information as described in that paragraph4 #d4 ,enhancement of the ,national ,declassification ,center 7a7 ,in general ,the ,president shall take appropriate actions to enhance the authority and capacity of the ,national ,declassification ,center under ,executive ,order ,no4 #acebf1 or any successor ,executive order1 in order to facilitate1 enhance1 and advance a government-wide strategy for the declassification of information4 7b7 ,required actions ,the actions taken under subsection 7a7 shall include the following3 7#a7 ,a requirement that ,federal agencies complete the review of ,presidential and ,federal records proposed for declassification1 in accordance with priorities established by the ,national ,declassification ,center1 within one year of the start of the declassification process1 except that agencies may complete such review within two years of the start of the declassification process upon the written approval of the ,director of the ,national ,declassification ,center4 7#b7 ,a requirement that ,federal agencies with authority to classify information share their declassification guidance with other such ,federal agencies and with the ,national ,declassification ,center4 #e4 ,public consultation with advisory panel to the ,national ,declassification ,center 7a7 ,in general ,the ,director of the ,national ,declassification ,center shall provide for consultation between the advisory panel to the ,national ,declassification ,center and the public4 7b7 ,frequency ,consultations under subsection 7a7 shall occur not less frequently than the frequency of the regular meetings of the advisory panel to the ,national ,declassification ,center and1 to the extent practicable1 shall occur concurrently with the meetings of the advisory panel4 #f4 ,extension of ,public ,interest ,declassification ,board ,section #gaj7;b7 of the ,public ,interest ,declassification ,act of #bjjj 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #cafa note7 is amended by striking #bjad and inserting #bjah4 #g4 ,preservation and access to historically valuable records ,federal agencies shall take appropriate actions to identify and designate historically valuable records as soon as possible after their creation in order to ensure the preservation and future accessibility of such documents and records4 #h4 ,reports on pilot programs on improvements to the declassification processes 7a7 ,reports ,the heads of ,federal agencies that classify information shall1 in consultation with the ,director of the ,national ,declassification ,center1 submit to ,congress reports setting forth options for various pilot programs to assess the feasibility and advisability of mechanisms to improve the current declassification capabilities of such agencies1 including updates of software and procedures relating to declassification of information4 7b7 ,mechanisms ,in selecting mechanisms to be assessed pursuant to the pilot programs for purposes of subsection 7a71 an emphasis shall be afforded to the selection of current technologies and practices that could improve current declassification capabilities1 including commercial1 off the shelf-technologies and current best practices of ,federal agencies and the private sector4 #i4 ,reports ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the head of each ,federal agency that classifies information shall submit to ,congress a report that sets forth the following3 7#a7 ,an assessment of feasibility and advisability of replacing the current classification system of such agency with a two-tiered system1 including an analysis and assessment of restructuring necessary to align the level of protection with the level of harm anticipated in the event of unauthorized release of sensitive information4 7#b7 ,if such agency possesses records with classified ,formerly ,restricted ,data 7,,frd71 an assessment of the feasibility and advisability of declassifying such records that have no national security value4