Department of Homeland Security Clearance Management and Administration Act
Latest action. Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)
Department of Homeland Security Clearance Management and Administration Act
(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require that the designation of the sensitivity level of national security positions be conducted in a consistent manner in all Department of Homeland Security (DHS) components and offices, consistent with federal guidelines. DHS must use uniform designation tools throughout DHS and provide training to appropriate staff.
The bill requires DHS: (1) by July 6, 2017, and every five years thereafter, to review all sensitivity level designations of national security positions at DHS; (2) if it determines that a change in the sensitivity level is warranted, to administratively adjust access and complete an appropriate level periodic reinvestigation; and (3) to report on such positions requiring access to classified information, no longer requiring access, or requiring a different level of access.
DHS's Inspector General must conduct regular audits of DHS compliance with regulations regarding such designations.
DHS must submit an annual report, through FY2021, on the denials, suspensions, revocations, and appeals of an individual's eligibility for access to classified information in DHS.
DHS must: (1) develop a plan to achieve greater uniformity regarding the adjudication of eligibility of an individual for access to classified information that is consistent with the Adjudicative Guidelines for Determining Access to Classified Information, and (2) ensure that all information received for such adjudication is consistent with such Guidelines and is protected against misappropriation. The plan shall consider the establishment of an internal appeals panel responsible for final national security clearance denial and revocation determinations.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed House without amendment" stage on November 2, 2015. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on November 3, 2015: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 114th Congress (2015-16), 329 of the 10,233 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.2 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MS) introduced it on September 15, 2015. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on September 15, 2015, 4013 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 3964 days ago, on November 3, 2015.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 114th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2017 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers