§3352c — Title 50 War and National Defense | U.S. Code

Summary

The Council must change the security clearance process so that by December 31, 2021, 90 percent of clearance decisions, excluding a group named in section 3352b(b)(3)(C), meet these speed goals: secret clearances in 30 days or less, top secret clearances in 90 days or less, and recognition of the same-level clearances from other agencies in 2 weeks or less. The Council also aims that by that date no more than 10 percent of people with clearances will need routine reinvestigations on a set schedule. The Council may use its own performance measures if it certifies they will produce substantially the same results, and must notify the appropriate congressional committees within 30 days after sharing those measures with departments and agencies. Not later than 180 days after December 20, 2019, the Council must give the appropriate congressional committees and industry partners a plan that includes interim milestones for 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Title 50, §3352c

War and National Defense — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Council shall reform the security clearance process with the objective that, by December 31, 2021, 90 percent of all determinations, other than determinations regarding populations identified under section 3352b(b)(3)(C) of this title, regarding—

(1)security clearances—

(A)at the secret level are issued in 30 days or fewer; and

(B)at the top secret level are issued in 90 days or fewer; and

(2)reciprocity of security clearances at the same level are recognized in 2 weeks or fewer.

(b)The Council shall reform the security clearance process with the goal that by December 31, 2021, reinvestigation on a set periodicity is not required for more than 10 percent of the population that holds a security clearance.

(c)(1)If the Council develops a set of performance metrics that it certifies to the appropriate congressional committees should achieve substantially equivalent outcomes as those outlined in subsections (a) and (b), the Council may use those metrics for purposes of compliance within this provision.

(2)If the Council uses the authority provided by paragraph (1) to use metrics as described in such paragraph, the Council shall, not later than 30 days after communicating such metrics to departments and agencies, notify the appropriate congressional committees that it is using such authority.

(d)Not later than 180 days after December 20, 2019, the Council shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees and make available to appropriate industry partners a plan to carry out this section. Such plan shall include recommended interim milestones for the goals set forth in subsections (a) and (b) for 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2022—Subsecs. (c)(1), (d). Pub. L. 117–263 substituted “subsections (a) and (b)” for “subsections (b) and (c)”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Definitions For definitions of “Council”, “reciprocity”, “appropriate congressional committees”, and “appropriate industry partners”, referred to in text, see section 3352 of this title.

§3352c Goals for Promptness of Determinations Regarding Security Clearances