June 25, 2025
Mr. Lieu (for himself and Mr. Castro of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
To require the Secretary of State to report annually on adverse security clearance adjudications, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Transparency in Security Clearance Denials Act
.
Sec. 2. Annual report by Secretary of State on certain adverse security clearance adjudications
(a) Report
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report that contains, with respect to the 1-year period ending on the date of the submission of the report, the following:
(1)
For each type of covered adjudicative outcome, the number of individuals who received such outcome from the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security.
(2)
The number of individuals who submitted to the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security an appeal with respect to a covered adjudicative outcome, disaggregated by whether the appeal related to assignment restrictions or assignment reviews.
(3)
The success rate of such appeals.
(4)
A description of the considerations and criteria used by such employees to determine whether a covered adjudicative outcome is warranted.
(b) Disaggregation of data
The data specified in paragraphs (1) through (3) of subsection (a) shall also be disaggregated by the following:
(1)
Position held by the individual, including by the following:
(A)
Foreign Service officer.
(B)
Civil service employee.
(C)
Other position.
(2)
Ethnicity, national origin, and race, to the extent such information is available.
(3)
Gender, to the extent such information is available.
(c) Initial report scope
Notwithstanding the 1-year period described in subsection (a), the first report submitted pursuant to the requirements of that section shall be with respect to the period beginning on January 1, 2024, and ending on the date of the submission of such first report.
(d) Definitions
In this section:
(1) Continuous vetting
The term continuous vetting
has the meaning given that term in section 6601 of the Damon Paul Nelson and Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2018, 2019, and 2020 (50 U.S.C. 3352).
(2) Covered adjudicative outcome
The term covered adjudicative outcome
means the following:
(A)
With respect to an initial security clearance background investigation, an adjudication that was unfavorable and resulted in a denial, suspension, or revocation of a security clearance.
(B)
With respect to a periodic reinvestigation, an adjudication that was unfavorable and resulted in a denial, suspension, or revocation of a security clearance.
(C)
With respect to a program of continuous vetting, a denial, suspension, or revocation of a security clearance taken by an authorized adjudicative agency as a result of such continuous vetting.
(3) Periodic reinvestigation
The term periodic reinvestigation
has the meaning given that terms in section 3001 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (50 U.S.C. 3341).