,,ii  ,calendar ,no4 #bc #aafth         
,,congress  #ast ,session  ,s4 #dfd     
,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united 
,,states  ,february #ab1 #bjai ,mr4     
,cardin 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,leahy1 ,mr4 
,jones1 ,ms4 ,baldwin1 ,mr4 ,kaine1     
,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,ms4 ,hirono1 ,ms4    
,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mrs4         
,shaheen1 ,ms4 ,cortez ,masto1 ,ms4     
,hassan1 and ,mr4 ,van ,hollen7         
introduced the following bill2 which was
 read the first time  ,february #ac1    
#bjai,read the second time and placed on
 the calendar  ,a ,,bill  ,to require   
the treatment of a lapse in             
appropriations as a mitigating condition
 when assessing financial considerations
 for security clearances1 and for other 
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,protecting         
,employees' ,security ,clearances ,act  
of #bjai4  #b4 ,treatment of lapse in   
appropriations as mitigating condition  
in financial consideration for security 
clearances  7a7 ,definitions ,in this   

section3  7#a7 ,agency ,the term agency 
has the meaning given the term          
,executive agency in section #aje of    
title #e1 ,united ,states ,code4  7#b7  
,covered employee the term covered      
employee--  7,a7 means-- 7i7 an officer 
or employee of the ,united ,states      
,government furloughed during a lapse in
 appropriations2 and  7ii7 an excepted  
employee or an employee performing      
emergency work1 as such terms are       
defined by the ,office of ,personnel    
,management2 and  7,b7 includes a       
contractor of an agency subject to a    
lapse in appropriations4  7#c7 ,national
 security eligibility ,the term national
 security eligibility has the meaning   
given such term in ,security ,executive 
,agent ,directive #d 7relating to       
,national ,security ,adjudicative       
,guidelines71 as in effect on the day   
before the date of the enactment of this
 ,act4  7#d7 ,security ,executive ,agent
 ,the term ,security ,executive ,agent  
means the official acting as the        

,security ,executive ,agent in          
accordance with ,executive ,order #acdfg
 7#gc ,fed4 ,reg4 #chajc2 #ej ,u4,s4,c4 
#cafa note2 relating to reforming       
processes related to suitability for    
government employment1 fitness for      
contractor employees1 and eligibility   
for access to classified national       
security information71 or successor     
order4  7b7 ,in general ,whenever the   
head of an agency determines whether to 
grant a covered employee national       
security eligibility or continue a      
covered employee's national security    
eligibility1 the head shall consider a  
lapse in appropriations a condition that
 could mitigate a security concern with 
respect to financial considerations4    
7c7 ,credit scores or negative          
information in a consumer credit file   
,no head of an agency may revoke the    
national security eligibility of a      
covered employee because of a reduction 
in the credit score or negative         
information in a consumer credit file of

 the covered employee that is           
attributable to disrupted income        
payments as a result of a lapse in      
appropriations4  7d7 ,modification of   
policies1 guidelines1 and directives    
,not later than #fj days after the date 
of the enactment of this ,act1 the      
,security ,executive ,agent shall revise
 such policies1 guidelines1 and         
directives1 including the ,security     
,executive ,agent ,directive #d         
7relating to ,national ,security        
,adjudicative ,guidelines71 or successor
 directive1 as may be necessary to carry
 out this section4  ,february #ac1      
#bjai,read the second time and placed on
 the calendar