,in the ,senate of the ,united ,states1 
,march #ae1 #bjah4  ,amendment3  ,that  
the bill from the ,house of             
,representatives 7,h4,r4 #cbaj7 entitled
 ,an ,act to require the ,director of   
the ,national ,background               
,investigations ,bureau to submit a     
report on the backlog of personnel      
security clearance investigations1 and  
for other purposes41 do pass with the   
following ,strike all after the enacting
 clause and insert the following3 #a4   
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,securely ,expediting ,clearances   
,through ,reporting ,transparency ,act  
of #bjah or the ,,secret ,act of #bjah4 
#b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act-- 7#a7   
the term ,bureau means the ,national    
,background ,investigations ,bureau of  
the ,office2  7#b7 the term ,director   
means the ,director of ,national        
,intelligence acting as the ,security   
,executive ,agent2 and  7#c7 the term   
,office means the ,office of ,personnel 
,management acting as the ,suitability  

and ,credentialing ,executive ,agent4   
#c4 ,report on backlog of personnel     
security clearance investigations ,not  
later than #ij days after the date of   
enactment of this ,act1 and quarterly   
thereafter for #e years1 the ,director  
of the ,bureau1 in coordination with the
 ,director1 shall submit to ,congress a 
report on the backlog of personnel      
security clearance investigations at the
 ,bureau for the most recent full       
calendar quarter1 which shall include-- 
7#a7 the size of the backlog of         
personnel security clearance            
investigations of the ,bureau1          
including1 for each sensitivity level-- 
7,a7 the number of interim clearances   
granted2  7,b7 the number of initial    
investigations for ,federal employees2  
7,c7 the number of periodic             
reinvestigations for ,federal employees2
  7,d7 the number of initial            
investigations for employees of ,federal
 contractors2  7,e7 the number of       
periodic reinvestigations for employees 

of ,federal contractors2  7,f7 the      
number of initial investigations for    
employees of1 and employees of          
contractors of1 the ,department of      
,defense2  7,g7 the number of periodic  
reinvestigations for employees of and   
employees of contractors of the         
,department of ,defense2  7,h7 the      
number of employees of the ,bureau      
conducting background investigations for
 the ,bureau2 and  7,i7 the number of   
employees of contractors of the ,bureau 
conducting background investigations for
 the ,bureau2  7#b7 the average length  
of time1 for each sensitivity level1 for
 the ,bureau to carry out an initial    
investigation and a periodic            
reinvestigation2  7#c7 a discussion of  
the factors contributing to the average 
length of time to carry out an initial  
investigation and a periodic            
reinvestigation2  7#d7 a backlog        
mitigation plan1 which shall include--  
7,a7 the identification of the cause of1
 and recommendations to remedy1 the     

backlog at the ,bureau2  7,b7 the steps 
the ,director of the ,bureau shall take 
to reduce the backlog2  7,c7 process    
reforms to improve efficiencies in1 and 
the quality of1 background              
investigations by the ,bureau2 and  7,d7
 a projection of when the backlog at the
 ,bureau will be sufficiently reduced to
 meet required timeliness standards2 and
  7#e7 a description of improvements in 
the information and data security of the
 ,bureau4  #d4 ,report on security      
clearance investigations of personnel of
 the ,executive ,office of the          
,president ,not later than #ij days     
after the date of enactment of this     
,act1 the ,director of the ,office of   
,administration of the ,executive       
,office of the ,president1 in           
coordination with the ,director and the 
,director of the ,office1 shall submit  
to ,congress a report that explains the 
process for conducting and adjudicating 
security clearance investigations for   
personnel of the ,executive ,office of  

the ,president1 including personnel of  
the ,white ,house ,office4  #e4 ,report 
on costs associated with bifurcated     
background investigation systems ,not   
later than #abj days after the date of  
enactment of this ,act1 the ,director of
 the ,office1 in consultation with the  
other members of the ,suitability and   
,security ,clearance ,performance       
,accountability ,council established    
under ,executive ,order #acdfg 7#gc     
,fed4 ,reg4 #chajc7 and the ,under      
,secretary of ,defense for              
,intelligence1 shall submit to ,congress
 a report on the cost of maintaining    
comprehensive background investigations 
capability within the ,office under the 
control or direction of the ,bureau and 
a background investigations capability  
for ,department of ,defense personnel   
under the control or direction of the   
,department of ,defense for             
implementation of the plan referenced in
 section #ibe of the ,national ,defense 
,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year   

#bjah 7,public ,law #aae-ia71 as        
compared to the cost of sustaining a    
single ,government-wide background      
investigations enterprise4  #f4 ,reports
 on continuous evaluation1 reciprocity1 
and timeliness measures ,not later than 
#abj days after the date of enactment of
 this ,act1 the ,director shall submit  
to ,congress reports that provide-- 7#a7
 the status of implementing continuous  
evaluation ,government-wide1 including--
 7,a7 the number of agencies with       
continuous evaluation programs and how  
many of those programs are currently    
conducting automated records checks of  
the required data sources as identified 
by the ,director2 and  7,b7 a discussion
 of the barriers for agencies to        
implement continuous evaluation         
programs1 including any requirement     
under a statute1 regulation1 ,executive 
,order1 or other administrative         
requirement2  7#b7 a detailed           
explanation of efforts by agencies to   
meet requirements for reciprocal        

recognition to access classified        
information1 including-- 7,a7 the range 
of the length of time for agencies to   
grant reciprocal recognition to access  
classified information2  7,b7 additional
 requirements for reinvestigations or   
readjudications1 by agency2 and  7,c7   
any other barriers to the timely        
granting of reciprocity1 by agency1     
including any requirement under a       
statute1 regulation1 ,executive ,order1 
or other administrative requirement2 and
  7#c7 a review of whether the schedule 
for processing security clearances under
 section #cjja of the ,intelligence     
,reform and ,terrorism ,prevention ,act 
of #bjjd 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #ccda7 should be
 modified4  #g4 ,review and update of   
position designation guidance  7a7      
,definitions ,in this section-- 7#a7 the
 term agency has the meaning given the  
term in ,executive ,order #acdfg 7#gc   
,fed4 ,reg4 #chajc71 or any successor   
thereto2  7#b7 the term appropriate     
congressional committees means-- 7,a7   

the ,committee on ,homeland ,security   
and ,governmental ,affairs and the      
,select ,committee on ,intelligence of  
the ,senate2 and  7,b7 the ,committee on
 ,oversight and ,government ,reform and 
the ,permanent ,select ,committee on    
,intelligence of the ,house of          
,representatives2  7#c7 the term        
background investigation means any      
investigation required for the purpose  
of determining the-- 7,a7 eligibility of
 a covered individual for logical and   
physical access to ,federally controlled
 facilities or information systems2     
7,b7 suitability or fitness of a covered
 individual for ,federal employment2    
7,c7 eligibility of a covered individual
 for access to classified information or
 to hold a national security sensitive  
position2 or  7,d7 fitness of a covered 
individual to perform work for or on    
behalf of the ,united ,states           
,government as a contractor employee2   
and  7#d7 the term covered individual-- 
7,a7 means a person who performs work   

for or on behalf of the executive branch
 or seeks to perform work for or on     
behalf of the executive branch2  7,b7 is
 not limited to ,federal employees2     
7,c7 includes all persons1 not excluded 
under subparagraph 7,d71 who require    
eligibility for access to classified    
information or eligibility to hold a    
sensitive position1 including1 but not  
limited to1 contractors1 subcontractors1
 licensees1 certificate holders1        
grantees1 experts1 consultants1 and     
government employees2 and  7,d7 does not
 include-- 7i7 the ,president2  7ii7    
employees of the ,president under       
section #aje or #ajg of title #c1       
,united ,states ,code 7except to the    
extent otherwise directed by the        
,president72  7iii7 the ,vice           
,president2 or  7iv7 employees of the   
,vice ,president under section #ajf of  
title #c1 ,united ,states ,code1 or an  
annual legislative branch appropriations
 ,act 7except to the extent otherwise   
directed by the ,vice ,president74  7b7 

,review and updating  7#a7 ,initial     
review and update of guidance ,not later
 than #ahj days after the date of       
enactment of this ,act1 the ,director   
and the ,director of the ,office shall  
review and make recommendations to      
,congress and the ,president as         
appropriate to issue guidance to assist 
agencies in determining-- 7,a7 position 
sensitivity designation2 and  7,b7 the  
appropriate background investigation to 
initiate for each position designation4 
7#b7 ,reviews and revisions of position 
designations ,not less frequently than  
every #d years1 the ,president1 acting  
through relevant agencies 7as determined
 by the ,president7 and in accordance   
with the guidance described in paragraph
 7#a71 shall review and1 if necessary1  
revise the position designation of      
positions within agencies4  7c7 ,reports
 to ,congress ,not later than #cj days  
after completing a review under         
subsection 7b77#b71 the ,president shall
 submit to the appropriate congressional

 committees a report on-- 7#a7 any      
issues identified in the review2 and    
7#b7 the number of position designations
 revised as a result of the review4  7d7
 ,no change in authority ,nothing in    
this section limits or expands the      
authority of any agency to designate a  
position as sensitive or as requiring   
its occupant to have access to          
classified information4  ,secretary