,,ii ,calendar ,no4 #bfd #aaeth         
,,congress  #ast ,session  ,h4 ,r4 #cbaj
 ,report ,no4 #aae-ahe ,,in ,,the       
,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states   
,july #bg1 #bjag,received2 read twice   
and referred to the ,committee on       
,homeland ,security and ,governmental   
,affairs  ,november #bg1 #bjag,reported 
by ,mr4 ,johnson1 with an               
amendment,strike out all after the      
enacting clause and insert the part     
printed in italic  ,,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 purposes4 
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,securely ,expediting           
,clearances ,through ,reporting         
,transparency ,act of #bjag or the      
,,secret ,act of #bjag4  #b4 ,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 ,national   
,background ,investigations ,bureau of  
the ,office of ,personnel ,management   
shall submit to ,congress a report on   
the backlog of security clearance       
investigations that includes--  7#a7 the
 size of the personnel security         
clearance investigation process backlog2
 and  7#b7 the average length of time1  
for each sensitivity level1 to carry out
 an initial investigation and a periodic
 investigation4  #c4 ,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 ,national    
,background ,investigations ,bureau of  
the ,office of ,personnel ,management   
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 ,white ,house personnel4  #d4 
,report on duplicative costs ,not later 
than #abj days after the date of        
enactment of this ,act1 the ,director of
 the ,national ,background              
,investigations ,bureau of the ,office  
of ,personnel ,management shall submit  
to ,congress a report on the cost of    
duplicating resources under the control 
or direction of the ,national           
,background ,investigations ,bureau for 
implementation of the plan referenced in
 section #iea7;a77#a7 of the ,national  
,defense ,authorization ,act for ,fiscal
 ,year #bjag 7#aj ,u4,s4,c4 #aefd note74
  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be    
cited as the ,securely ,expediting      
,clearances ,through ,reporting         
,transparency ,act of #bjag or the      
,,secret ,act of #bjag4  #b4 ,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 ,national   

,background ,investigations ,bureau of  
the ,office of ,personnel ,management   
shall submit to ,congress a report on   
the backlog of security clearance       
investigations that includes1 for the   
most recent full calendar quarter--     
7#a7 the size of the personnel security 
clearance investigation process backlog1
 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 ,federal employees conducting 
background investigations2 and  7,i7 the
 number of employees of ,federal        
contractors conducting background       
investigations2  7#b7 the average length
 of time1 for each sensitivity level1 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 backlog2  7,b7 the steps the
 ,director shall take to reduce the     
backlog2  7,c7 process reforms to       
improve efficiencies in1 and the quality
 of1 background investigations2 and     
7,d7 a projection of when the backlog   
will be sufficiently reduced to meet    
required timeliness standards2 and  7#e7
 a description of improvements in       

information and data security4  #c4     
,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 ,president    
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 ,white ,house personnel4  #d4 
,report on duplicative costs ,not later 
than #abj days after the date of        
enactment of this ,act1 the ,director of
 the ,office of ,management and ,budget1
 in consultation with the other members 
of the ,suitability and ,security       
,clearance ,performance ,accountability 
,council established under ,executive   
,order #acdfg 7#gc ,fed4 ,reg4 #chajc71 
shall submit to ,congress a report on   
the cost of duplicating resources under 

the control or direction of the         
,national ,background ,investigations   
,bureau for implementation of the plan  
referenced in section #iea7;a77#a7 of   
the ,national ,defense ,authorization   
,act for ,fiscal ,year #bjag 7#aj       
,u4,s4,c4 #aefd note74  #e4 ,report on  
continuous evaluation and reciprocity   
,not later than #abj days after the date
 of enactment of this ,act1 the         
,director of ,national ,intelligence and
 the ,director of the ,office of        
,personnel ,management shall submit to  
,congress a report that provides--  7#a7
 the status of implementing continuous  
evaluation ,governmentwide1 including-- 
7,a7 the number of agencies with        
continuous evaluation programs and how  
many of those programs are currently    
meeting the investigative standards2    
7,b7 a risk assessment of replacing     
current reinvestigation requirements    
with continuous evaluation programs by  
#bjbj2  7,c7 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 and
  7,d7 plans1 including timelines1 for  
implementing continuous evaluation      
,governmentwide and phasing out periodic
 reinvestigations2  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    
7#c7 recommendations1 including         
timelines1 to improve the background    
investigation process to-- 7,a7 simplify

 the ,questionnaire for ,national       
,security ,positions 7,standard ,form   
#hf7 and increase customer support for  
applicants completing such              
questionnaire2  7,b7 use remote and     
virtual techniques and centralized      
locations during field investigation    
work2  7,c7 use secure and reliable     
digitization of information obtained    
during the clearance process2 and  7,d7 
build the capacity of the background    
investigation labor sector2 and  7#d7 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  #f4 ,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   
means an individual who-- 7,a7 performs 

work for or on behalf of an agency2 or  
7,b7 seeks to perform work for or on    
behalf of an agency4  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 ,president shall review and1 
if appropriate1 update the guidance the 
,president issues 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  ,november #bg1 
#bjag,reported with an amendment