157 
submit to the appropriate congressional committees 
and make available to appropriate industry partners 
the following: 
(A) A plan, with milestones, to reduce the 
background investigation inventory to 200,000, 
or an otherwise sustainable steady-level, by the 
end of year 2020. Such plan shall include notes 
of any required changes in investigative and ad-
judicative standards or resources. 
(B) A plan to consolidate the conduct of 
background investigations associated with the 
processing for security clearances in the most ef-
fective and efficient manner between the Na-
tional Background Investigation Bureau and the 
Defense Security Service, or a successor organi-
zation. Such plan shall address required fund-
ing, personnel, contracts, information technology, 
field office structure, policy, governance, sched-
ule, transition costs, and effects on stakeholders. 
(2) REPORT ON THE FUTURE OF PERSONNEL SE-
CURITY.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Chairman of the Council, in coordination with 
the members of the Council, shall submit to the 
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158 
appropriate congressional committees and make 
available to appropriate industry partners a re-
port on the future of personnel security to reflect 
changes in threats, the workforce, and technology. 
(B) 
CONTENTS.—The 
report 
submitted 
under subparagraph (A) shall include the fol-
lowing: 
(i) A risk framework for granting and 
renewing access to classified information. 
(ii) A discussion of the use of tech-
nologies to prevent, detect, and monitor 
threats. 
(iii) A discussion of efforts to address 
reciprocity and portability. 
(iv) A discussion of the characteristics 
of effective insider threat programs. 
(v) An analysis of how to integrate 
data from continuous evaluation, insider 
threat programs, and human resources 
data. 
(vi) Recommendations on interagency 
governance. 
(3) PLAN FOR IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 
180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Chairman of the Council, in coordination with the 
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159 
members of the Council, shall submit to the appro-
priate congressional committees and make available 
to appropriate industry partners a plan to implement 
the report’s framework and recommendations sub-
mitted under paragraph (2)(A). 
(4) CONGRESSIONAL
NOTIFICATIONS.—Not less 
frequently than quarterly, the Security Executive 
Agent shall make available to the public a report re-
garding the status of the disposition of requests re-
ceived from departments and agencies of the Federal 
Government for a change to, or approval under, the 
Federal investigative standards, the national adju-
dicative guidelines, continuous evaluation, or other 
national policy regarding personnel security. 
SEC. 2603. IMPROVING THE PROCESS FOR SECURITY 
CLEARANCES. 
(a) REVIEWS.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Security Executive Agent, 
in coordination with the members of the Council, shall sub-
mit to the appropriate congressional committees and make 
available to appropriate industry partners a report that in-
cludes the following: 
(1) A review of whether the information re-
quested on the Questionnaire for National Security 
Positions (Standard Form 86) and by the Federal In-
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vestigative Standards prescribed by the Office of Per-
sonnel Management and the Office of the Director of 
National Intelligence appropriately supports the adju-
dicative guidelines under Security Executive Agent 
Directive 4 (known as the ‘‘National Security Adju-
dicative Guidelines’’). Such review shall include iden-
tification of whether any such information currently 
collected is unnecessary to support the adjudicative 
guidelines. 
(2) An assessment of whether such Questionnaire, 
Standards, and guidelines should be revised to ac-
count for the prospect of a holder of a security clear-
ance becoming an insider threat. 
(3) Recommendations to improve the background 
investigation process by— 
(A) simplifying the Questionnaire for Na-
tional Security Positions (Standard Form 86) 
and increasing customer support to applicants 
completing such Questionnaire; 
(B) using remote techniques and centralized 
locations to support or replace field investigation 
work; 
(C) using secure and reliable digitization of 
information obtained during the clearance proc-
ess; 
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(D) building the capacity of the background 
investigation labor sector; and 
(E) replacing periodic reinvestigations with 
continuous evaluation techniques in all appro-
priate circumstances. 
(b) POLICY, STRATEGY, AND IMPLEMENTATION.—Not 
later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Security Executive Agent shall, in coordination 
with the members of the Council, establish the following: 
(1) A policy and implementation plan for the 
issuance of interim security clearances. 
(2) A policy and implementation plan to ensure 
contractors are treated consistently in the security 
clearance process across agencies and departments of 
the United States as compared to employees of such 
agencies and departments. Such policy shall ad-
dress— 
(A) prioritization of processing security 
clearances based on the mission the contractors 
will be performing; 
(B) standardization in the forms that agen-
cies issue to initiate the process for a security 
clearance; 
(C) digitization of background investiga-
tion-related forms; 
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(D) use of the polygraph; 
(E) the application of the adjudicative 
guidelines under Security Executive Agent Di-
rective 4 (known as the ‘‘National Security Ad-
judicative Guidelines’’); 
(F) reciprocal recognition of clearances 
across agencies and departments of the United 
States, regardless of status of periodic reinves-
tigation; 
(G) tracking of clearance files as individ-
uals move from employment with an agency or 
department of the United States to employment 
in the private sector; 
(H) collection of timelines for movement of 
contractors across agencies and departments; 
(I) reporting on security incidents and job 
performance, consistent with section 552a of title 
5, United States Code (commonly known as the 
‘‘Privacy Act of 1974’’), that may affect the abil-
ity to hold a security clearance; 
(J) any recommended changes to the Fed-
eral Acquisition Regulations (FAR) necessary to 
ensure that information affecting contractor 
clearances or suitability is appropriately and ex-
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peditiously shared between and among agencies 
and contractors; and 
(K) portability of contractor security clear-
ances between or among contracts at the same 
agency and between or among contracts at dif-
ferent agencies that require the same level of 
clearance. 
(3) A strategy and implementation plan that— 
(A) provides for periodic reinvestigations as 
part of a security clearance determination only 
on an as-needed, risk-based basis; 
(B) includes actions to assess the extent to 
which automated records checks and other con-
tinuous evaluation methods may be used to expe-
dite or focus reinvestigations; and 
(C) provides an exception for certain popu-
lations if the Security Executive Agent— 
(i) determines such populations require 
reinvestigations at regular intervals; and 
(ii) provides written justification to 
the appropriate congressional committees 
for any such determination. 
(4) A policy and implementation plan for agen-
cies and departments of the United States, as a part 
of the security clearance process, to accept automated 
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records checks generated pursuant to a security clear-
ance applicant’s employment with a prior employer. 
(5) A policy for the use of certain background 
materials on individuals collected by the private sec-
tor for background investigation purposes. 
(6) Uniform standards for agency continuous 
evaluation programs to ensure quality and reci-
procity in accepting enrollment in a continuous vet-
ting program as a substitute for a periodic investiga-
tion for continued access to classified information. 
SEC. 2604. GOALS FOR PROMPTNESS OF DETERMINATIONS 
REGARDING SECURITY CLEARANCES. 
(a) RECIPROCITY DEFINED.—In this section, the term 
‘‘reciprocity’’ means reciprocal recognition by Federal de-
partments and agencies of eligibility for access to classified 
information. 
(b) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall reform the secu-
rity clearance process with the objective that, by December 
31, 2021, 90 percent of all determinations, other than deter-
minations regarding populations identified under section 
2603(b)(3)(C), regarding— 
(1) security clearances— 
(A) at the secret level are issued in 30 days 
or fewer; and 
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(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. 
(c) CERTAIN REINVESTIGATIONS.—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. 
(d) EQUIVALENT METRICS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—If the Council develops a set 
of performance metrics that it certifies to the appro-
priate congressional committees should achieve sub-
stantially equivalent outcomes as those outlined in 
subsections (b) and (c), the Council may use those 
metrics for purposes of compliance within this provi-
sion. 
(2) NOTICE.—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 depart-
ments and agencies, notify the appropriate congres-
sional committees that it is using such authority. 
(e) PLAN.—Not later than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Council shall submit to the 
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that were not adjudicated as of the last day of such 
year and that remained pending as follows: 
‘‘(i) For 180 days or less. 
‘‘(ii) For 180 days or longer, but less than 
12 months. 
‘‘(iii) For 12 months or longer, but less 
than 18 months. 
‘‘(iv) For 18 months or longer, but less than 
24 months. 
‘‘(v) For 24 months or longer. 
‘‘(F) In the case of security clearance determina-
tions completed or pending during the year preceding 
the year for which the report is submitted that have 
taken longer than 12 months to complete— 
‘‘(i) an explanation of the causes for the 
delays incurred during the period covered by the 
report; and 
‘‘(ii) the number of such delays involving a 
polygraph requirement. 
‘‘(G) The percentage of security clearance inves-
tigations, including initial and periodic reinvestiga-
tions, that resulted in a denial or revocation of a se-
curity clearance. 
‘‘(H) The percentage of security clearance inves-
tigations that resulted in incomplete information. 
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