SECRET Act: Do the Feds Need to Tell Congress About the Security Clearance Backlog? (H.R. 3210)

What is H.R. 3210?

(Updated November 16, 2018)

This bill was enacted on May 22, 2018

This bill — known as the SECRET Act — would require the Office of Personnel Management’s National Background Investigations Bureau to report to Congress about the backlog of security clearance investigations. The report would include details about the size of the backlog, and the average length of time for each sensitivity level it takes to carry out an initial investigation and a periodic investigation.  The report would be required within 90 days of the bill’s enactment and and once per quarter every year thereafter.

The bill’s acronym stands for the Securely Expediting Clearance through Reporting Transparency (SECRET) Act.

Argument in favor

Bureaucratic inefficiency is preventing federal agencies and employees from carrying out vital national defense work through a security clearance investigation backlog. The agency responsible needs to keep Congress informed about the status of the backlog.

Argument opposed

Requiring an agency responsible for a security clearance investigation backlog to report to Congress about the backlog may lead to things improving down the road, but in the short term it’s not going to speed up the process.

Impact

People delayed from beginning or continuing their work for the federal government because of the security clearance backlog; and the OPM’s National Background Investigations Bureau.

Cost of H.R. 3210

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Steve Knight (R-CA) introduced this bill to require a quarterly report on the size of the security clearance investigation backlog and the average length of time it takes to carry out a security clearance investigation:

“Bureaucratic processes are hindering government agencies and employees from doing critical work on behalf of our national defense because of these investigation backlogs. This bill brings more government transparency and represents a critical step in Congress holding those accountable for this unacceptable backlog.”

This legislation was passed by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on a voice vote, and has the support of one Democratic cosponsor in the House.

Media:

• Hometownstation.com
  
• FCW