U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) on June 5 cosponsored bipartisan legislation that seeks to protect the integrity of the nation’s security clearance process.
“The security clearance system is critical to protecting our country from harm and safeguarding access to our most classified information. Americans should have the utmost confidence in the integrity of the security clearance process,” Sen. Collins said. “This bipartisan bill would make the current system fairer and more transparent by ensuring that decisions to grant, deny, or revoke clearances are based solely on codified guidelines.”
The Integrity in Security Clearance Determinations Act, S. 1959, which is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), would ensure that the security clearance process is fair, objective, transparent, and accountable by requiring decisions to grant, deny, or revoke clearances to be based on published criteria, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Collins’ staff.
The Senate bill also would prohibit the executive branch from revoking security clearances based on the exercise of constitutional rights, such as the right to freely express political views, or for purposes of political retaliation.
Additionally, the bill would ban agencies from using security clearances to punish whistleblowers or discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, religion, age, handicap, or national origin, the summary says.
“Americans should be able to have confidence that the security clearance process is focused solely on protecting our nation’s most sensitive information,” said Sen. Warner. “This bipartisan legislation will make clear that this vital system cannot be weaponized for political retribution.”
If enacted, S. 1959 also would codify in statute the right of government employees to appeal decisions to deny or revoke a security clearance, and would require the government to publicly publish the results of such appeals, states the summary.
The measure is under consideration by the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.