§3348 — Title 50 War and National Defense | U.S. Code

Summary

Heads of covered departments and agencies must send a report each year by February 1 to the congressional oversight committees about every special access program they run. The report must say the total money requested for such programs in the next year’s budget. For each program it must give a short description; if it is a procurement program, list the main milestones; show actual costs for each year the program ran up to the year before the budget year; and give the estimated total cost plus estimated costs for the current year, the budget year, and each of the four years after that. If a program is new (not previously reported as new), the department must send a notice and justification by February 1 that includes the current total cost estimate and any existing programs or technologies that are like it. If a department plans to change a program’s classification or to declassify information and make it public, it must report the proposed change, why it is being made, and any planned public announcement. That report must be sent at least 14 days before the change or announcement unless there are exceptional circumstances; if so, the report may be sent any time before the change and must explain the exceptional circumstances. Departments must also promptly tell the committees about any changes to the rules for labeling programs as special access programs and explain why. A special access program cannot start until the committees are notified and 30 days have passed. The head of a department may withhold certain report details for national security, but must still give the withheld information and the reason for the waiver to the congressional oversight committees. "Congressional oversight committees" means congressional leadership and the authorizing and appropriations committees with jurisdiction, plus the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The rule covers all federal departments and agencies that run special access programs, except the Department of Defense, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and agencies in the Intelligence Community. A special access program is one set up under the President’s classification authority that adds extra need-to-know or access limits beyond normal classified rules.

Title 50, §3348

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(a)(1)Not later than February 1 of each year, the head of each covered department or agency shall submit to the congressional oversight committees a report on each special access program carried out in the department or agency.

(2)Each such report shall set forth—

(A)the total amount requested by the department or agency for special access programs within the budget submitted under section 1105 of title 31 for the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the report is submitted; and

(B)for each program in such budget that is a special access program—

(i)a brief description of the program;

(ii)in the case of a procurement program, a brief discussion of the major milestones established for the program;

(iii)the actual cost of the program for each fiscal year during which the program has been conducted before the fiscal year during which that budget is submitted; and

(iv)the estimated total cost of the program and the estimated cost of the program for (I) the current fiscal year, (II) the fiscal year for which the budget is submitted, and (III) each of the four succeeding fiscal years during which the program is expected to be conducted.

(b)(1)Not later than February 1 of each year, the head of each covered department or agency shall submit to the congressional oversight committees a report that, with respect to each new special access program of that department or agency, provides—

(A)notice of the designation of the program as a special access program; and

(B)justification for such designation.

(2)A report under paragraph (1) with respect to a program shall include—

(A)the current estimate of the total program cost for the program; and

(B)an identification, as applicable, of existing programs or technologies that are similar to the technology, or that have a mission similar to the technology, or that have a mission similar to the mission, of the program that is the subject of the notice.

(3)In this subsection, the term “new special access program” means a special access program that has not previously been covered in a notice and justification under this subsection.

(c)(1)Whenever a change in the classification of a special access program of a covered department or agency is planned to be made or whenever classified information concerning a special access program of a covered department or agency is to be declassified and made public, the head of the department or agency shall submit to the congressional oversight committees a report containing a description of the proposed change or the information to be declassified, the reasons for the proposed change or declassification, and notice of any public announcement planned to be made with respect to the proposed change or declassification.

(2)Except as provided in paragraph (3), a report referred to in paragraph (1) shall be submitted not less than 14 days before the date on which the proposed change, declassification, or public announcement is to occur.

(3)If the head of the department or agency determines that because of exceptional circumstances the requirement of paragraph (2) cannot be met with respect to a proposed change, declassification, or public announcement concerning a special access program of the department or agency, the head of the department or agency may submit the report required by paragraph (1) regarding the proposed change, declassification, or public announcement at any time before the proposed change, declassification, or public announcement is made and shall include in the report an explanation of the exceptional circumstances.

(d)Whenever there is a modification or termination of the policy and criteria used for designating a program of a covered department or agency as a special access program, the head of the department or agency shall promptly notify the congressional oversight committees of such modification or termination. Any such notification shall contain the reasons for the modification or termination and, in the case of a modification, the provisions of the policy as modified.

(e)(1)The head of a covered department or agency may waive any requirement under subsection (a), (b), or (c) that certain information be included in a report under that subsection if the head of the department or agency determines that inclusion of that information in the report would adversely affect the national security. Any such waiver shall be made on a case-by-case basis.

(2)If the head of a department or agency exercises the authority provided under paragraph (1), the head of the department or agency shall provide the information described in that subsection with respect to the special access program concerned, and the justification for the waiver, to the congressional oversight committees.

(f)A special access program may not be initiated by a covered department or agency until—

(1)the congressional oversight committees are notified of the program; and

(2)a period of 30 days elapses after such notification is received.

(g)For purposes of this section:

(1)The term “congressional oversight committees” means—

(A)congressional leadership and authorizing and appropriations congressional committees with jurisdiction or shared jurisdiction over a department or agency;

(B)the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; and

(C)the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House of Representatives.

(2)(A)Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the term “covered department or agency” means any department or agency of the Federal Government that carries out a special access program.

(B)Such term does not include—

(i)the Department of Defense (which is required to submit reports on special access programs under section 119 of title 10);

(ii)the National Nuclear Security Administration (which is required to submit reports on special access programs under section 2426 of this title); or

(iii)an agency in the Intelligence Community (as defined in section 3003(4) of this title).

(3)The term “special access program” means any program that, under the authority of Executive Order 12356 (or any successor Executive order), is established by the head of a department or agency whom the President has designated in the Federal Register as an original “secret” or “top secret” classification authority that imposes “need-to-know” controls or access controls beyond those controls normally required (by regulations applicable to such department or agency) for access to information classified as “confidential”, “secret”, or “top secret”.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Executive Order 12356, referred to in subsec. (g)(3), is Ex. Ord. No. 12356, Apr. 2, 1982, 47 F.R. 14874, 15557, which prescribed a uniform system for classifying, declassifying, and safeguarding national security information, and which was formerly set out as a note under section 435 (now section 3161) of this title, was revoked by Ex. Ord. No. 12958, § 6.1(d), Apr. 17, 1995, 60 F.R. 19843. Codification section 103 of Pub. L. 115–390, which directed amendment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994 (50 U.S.C. 3348), was executed to this section, which is section 1152 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994 (Pub. L. 103–160), to reflect the probable intent of Congress. See 2018 Amendment notes below. Section was formerly classified as a note under section 435 of this title prior to editorial reclassification as this section.

Amendments

2018—Subsecs. (a) to (e). Pub. L. 115–390, § 103(1), substituted “the congressional oversight committees” for “Congress” wherever appearing. See Codification note above. Subsec. (f)(1). Pub. L. 115–390, § 103(2), substituted “congressional oversight committees” for “appropriate oversight committees”. See Codification note above. Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 115–390, § 103(3), added par. (1) and redesignated former pars. (1) and (2) as (2) and (3), respectively. See Codification note above. 1999—Subsec. (g)(1)(B)(ii). Pub. L. 106–65 amended cl. (ii) generally. Prior to amendment, cl. (ii) read as follows: “the Department of Energy, with respect to special access programs carried out under the atomic energy defense activities of that department (for which the Secretary of Energy is required to submit reports under section 2122a of title 42); or”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Oversight and Reform of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 6, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, Jan. 9, 2019. Committee on Oversight and Reform of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Oversight and Accountability of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Eighteenth Congress, Jan. 9, 2023.

Effective Date

of 1999 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 106–65 effective Mar. 1, 2000, see section 3299 of Pub. L. 106–65, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 2401 of this title.

§3348 Reports relating to certain special access programs and similar programs

Summary

Title 50, §3348

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Amendments

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Effective Date

Effective Date

Citations & Metadata