[国会记录:2009年1月22日(续)][E127页]H.R. 4156，《安全许可监督和问责法》______加州议员ANNA G. ESHOO女士，2009年1月22日星期四。议长女士，今天我很荣幸向大家介绍《安全审查监督与问责法》该法案是众议院常设情报特别委员会情报社区管理小组委员会工作的结果。我很高兴，第110届国会小组委员会高级成员伊萨先生再次加入我的行列，成为这项立法的共同提案人。鉴于这项法案得到两党大力支持，我希望我们能尽快通过这项法案。它将提高我们对安全审查过程的了解，并通过这样做，改进该过程本身。安全审查是在国家安全、国土安全以及许多外交政策岗位上为国家服务的大门。随着时间的推移，持有许可证的联邦雇员和承包商的数量已经扩大到数十万人，堵塞了许可证审查系统，造成了巨大的积压。在2001年9月11日的悲剧性袭击之后，我们的国家面临着扩大国家安全人员的迫切需要，但我们的审查系统阻碍并继续阻碍招聘工作。安全审查不应成为我们国家安全的障碍，尤其是在我们向新政府过渡的时候。 In 2004, Congress passed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, IRTPA, which contained many provisions to improve the security clearance process. During the last Congress, our Subcommittee undertook a thorough review of the process and the progress toward meeting the goals of the Act. We had round-table meetings with representatives of industry and representatives of the Intelligence Community agencies. We carefully reviewed all reports submitted in response to the Intelligence Reform Act as well as GAO reports on security clearance reform in the Department of Defense. We held a series of open hearings with Administration witnesses and GAO to discuss accomplishments and areas where progress was lacking and we intend to continue that oversight in the 111th Congress. This bill will assist us in that task while improving the quality of our security clearances. In addition to our own oversight, we requested that the GAO review the security clearance processes inside the Intelligence Community and report its findings. GAO brings decades of experience and deep expertise to this task. For more than 20 years its experts have examined the personnel security practices in the Department of Defense. This is the first time that Intelligence Community security practices will be subjected to such scrutiny. We look forward to Intelligence Community's cooperation with the GAO and to reviewing the results of GAO's work. This bill is designed to remedy the shortcomings we identified last Congress. It takes a new approach to reform by requiring agencies to report to Congress annually on certain metrics related to the security clearance process. The metrics in this bill would enable Congress and HPSCI to perform effective oversight, would allow both branches to track improvements from year to year, and would allow agencies to judge the effectiveness of each other's security clearance process, improving confidence in the system. In a few areas where adequate metrics have not been developed, the Administration is required to propose metrics to Congress. Just a few weeks ago, the Administration's Joint Security and Security Reform Team issued its proposal for security clearance process transformation. Their vision of a transformed process includes consolidated databases, interactive electronic applications, investigative techniques tailored to individual cases, automated investigation tools, automated clearance adjudication, and a more aggressive reinvestigation schedule for individual holding security clearances. Many of these reforms were required by the IRTPA and I am pleased to see their long-delayed implementation. The security clearance process is a key to our national security establishment and we must make sure that it works as efficiently as possible. An effective security clearance system keeps out those who pose a security risk, while quickly identifying those who are trustworthy to work in the system. For too long it has been a troubled system. This legislation will allow us to confirm the necessary progress we must make in this critical area. ____________________