Securely Expediting Clearances Through Reporting Transparency Act of 2018
Public Law 115-173 · H.R. 3210 · 115th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on May 22, 2018 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Rep. Steve Knight (R-CA-25)
Cosponsors (1): Rep. Gerald Connolly
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Securely Expediting Clearances Through Reporting Transparency Act of 2018 or the SECRET Act of 2018 (Sec. 3) This bill requires the National Background Investigations Bureau (NBIB) within the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to report on its backlog of security clearance investigations. The report must include a backlog mitigation plan identifying the cause of, and making recommendations to remedy, the backlog.
(Sec. 4) The Executive Office of the President must report on the process for conducting and adjudicating security clearance investigations for the President's staff.
(Sec. 5) The OPM must report on the costs of maintaining comprehensive background investigations capability within both the NBIB and the Department of Defense, compared to the costs of sustaining a single government-wide background investigations enterprise.
(Sec. 6) The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) must report on: (1) the status of implementing government-wide continuous evaluation programs, (2) efforts by federal agencies to meet requirements for reciprocal recognition to access classified information, and (3) whether the schedule for processing security clearances should be modified.
(Sec. 7) The ODNI and the OPM must review and make recommendations to Congress and the President, as appropriate, to issue guidance to assist agencies in determining: (1) position sensitivity designation, and (2) the appropriate background investigation to initiate for each position designation. The President must report on any issues identified in, and the number of position designations revised as a result of, the review.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
The record lists no related bills.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 26 actions.
- May 22, 2018Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 115-173.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- May 10, 2018FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- May 7, 2018Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection. (text as House agreed to Senate amendment)
- FloorFloor · Mr. Russell asked unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's Table and agree to the Senate amendment.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- House actions: On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.(text as House agreed to Senate amendment)
- Mar 15, 2018FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · The committee substitute withdrawn by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Nov 27, 2017CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 264.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Johnson with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 115-185.
- Oct 4, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Jul 27, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Jul 26, 2017FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3210.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Mitchell moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Jul 25, 2017CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 188.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. H. Rept. 115-258.
- Jul 19, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Jul 12, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 2210SenateSen. Ron JohnsonR-WI· offered Mar 15, 2018Agreed to
In the nature of a substitute.
Mar 15, 2018: Amendment SA 2210 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.