Transparency in Security Clearance Denials Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4137 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4137

    To require the Secretary of State to report annually on adverse 
       security clearance adjudications, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To require the Secretary of State to report annually on adverse 
       security clearance adjudications, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

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).
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