“The IAA for Fiscal Year 2021 represents the Senate Intelligence Committee’s strong, bipartisan effort to give our Intelligence Community the resources, authorities, and personnel to protect America’s national security while increasing government efficiency,” Acting Chairman Marco Rubio said. “As a nation, we face ever-expanding threats from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Our legislation is vital to the Intelligence Community, and it provides the men and women who serve our nation the tools they need to keep our country safe. At the same time, our bill represents comprehensive Congressional oversight, ensuring that these tools are executed responsibly and cost-effectively.”

“This bipartisan intelligence authorization bill ensures that the women and men of our intelligence agencies have the resources they need to do their jobs,” said Vice Chairman Mark Warner. “This bill takes key steps to improve our national security, including investments in 5G technology, reforms to our security clearance process, and important protections for whistleblowers to report wrongdoing within the IC.”

The IAA for Fiscal Year 2021 ensures that the Intelligence Community can continue its critical work for our country while Congress continues its oversight, including in the following key areas:

• Confronting our adversaries’ attempts to compromise telecommunications and cybersecurity technology;
• Development and deployment of secure 5G networks based in open-standards to compete with our adversaries;
• Identifying corruption, influence operations, and information suppression by the Chinese government, in particular in this critical time for the people of Hong Kong;
• Uncovering Russian and Eastern European oligarchs’ corruption and illegal activities;
• Protecting against foreign influence threats and election interference on social media platforms;
• Creating Intelligence Community-wide policies to facilitate sharing cleared contractor information with private companies to enhance the effectiveness of insider threat programs;
• Requiring the publication of guidelines for granting, denying, or revoking a security clearance and preventing the revocation or denial of a clearance for reasons of discrimination, political beliefs, or retaliation; and
• Advancing Intelligence Community hiring flexibilities, student loan repayment programs, and child care for IC personnel.

Source: U.S. Senate

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This legislation provides the Intelligence Community (IC) the necessary resources and authorities to ensure they remain capable of protecting and defending the United States. The bill supports critical national security programs, particularly those focused on countering terrorism and cyberattacks. The total funding levels authorized by the bill are slightly below the President’s budget, balancing fiscal discipline and national security. This legislation:

Focuses the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) on core missions by eliminating several DIA components and functions or realigning them to other IC elements;

Defends against foreign threats to elections by requiring the Director of National Intelligence to electronically publish an unclassified advisory report on foreign counterintelligence and cybersecurity threats to election campaigns for federal offices;

Bolsters intelligence oversight by ensuring that IC contractors can meet freely with Congress; and

Improves IC accountability to Congress by requiring the IC to provide reports on:

o   Investigations of leaks of classified information;

o   Security clearance processing timelines;

o   The process for reviewing information about computer vulnerabilities for retention or potential release; and

o   Russian influence campaigns directed at foreign elections and threat finance activities.

The Act makes no changes to any surveillance authorities, including those set to expire later this year, which will be addressed in separate legislation.

House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes said: “This is a crucial, bipartisan bill that will keep the Intelligence Community fully funded and subject to robust congressional oversight. I thank the House for passing the IAA on a bipartisan basis, and I look forward to its quick passage in the Senate.”

Ranking Member Adam Schiff said: “I am pleased that the House has once again passed the Intelligence Authorization Act with a strong bipartisan majority. This year’s intelligence authorization bill makes sure our intelligence agencies and the Department of Defense have the resources, authorities, and capabilities they need to protect our nation, but it also ensures vigorous oversight, particularly to make sure privacy and civil liberties are protected.”

For more information on the bill, click here.

Source: HPSCI

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According to the committee, this legislation provides the Intelligence Community (IC) the necessary resources and authorities to ensure they remain capable of protecting and defending the United States.

The bill supports critical national security programs, particularly those focused on countering terrorism and cyberattacks. The total funding levels authorized by the bill are slightly below the president’s budget, balancing fiscal discipline and national security. This legislation:

• Focuses the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) on core missions by eliminating several DIA components and functions or realigning them to other IC elements;
• Defends against foreign threats to elections by requiring the Director of National Intelligence to electronically publish an unclassified advisory report on foreign counterintelligence and cybersecurity threats to election campaigns for federal offices;
• Bolsters intelligence oversight by ensuring that IC contractors can meet freely with Congress; and
• Improves IC accountability to Congress by requiring the IC to provide reports on:

1. Investigations of leaks of classified information;
2. Security clearance processing timelines;
3. The process for reviewing information about computer vulnerabilities for retention or potential release; and
4. Russian influence campaigns directed at foreign elections and threat finance activities.

The Act makes no changes to any surveillance authorities, including those set to expire later this year, which will be addressed in separate legislation.

Chairman Devin Nunes said: “At a time when our nation faces major national security challenges from terrorist groups as well as nation states, it’s crucial that the Intelligence Community receive all the resources it needs to do its job while Congress has the necessary tools to carry out rigorous oversight of its work. This bill will ensure that our intelligence professionals have the biggest chance of success in thwarting foreign threats.”

Ranking Member Adam Schiff said: “Our nation faces a diverse and growing array of threats, and it is more important than ever that we provide the intelligence agencies with the resources, authorities and capabilities they need to protect our nation, while also ensuring we protect our privacy and civil liberties. This bill is the product of months of oversight and examination and a bipartisan commitment to the nation’s security. I look forward to taking the bill up on the House floor and to its eventual passage.”

For more information on the bill, click here.

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The IAA, which was approved as part of the omnibus spending bill, ensures that the programs and activities of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) are authorized by law, fully resourced, and subject to rigorous congressional oversight. Focusing on current terrorism threats as well as other long-term challenges, the bill includes provisions to ensure good governance and fiscal responsibility, strengthen our technical collection and analysis capabilities in cyberspace and other domains, and better ensure continuous IC accountability throughout the year. The legislation does not include any provisions related to surveillance authorities.

The IAA’s final text is the result of agreement between the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. It is largely the same as the most recent version of the IAA (H.R. 6480), which was approved in the House by unanimous consent on December 8, 2016. Overall, today’s bill:

• Sustains critical capabilities to fight terrorism and counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

• Enhances efforts against nation-state competitors, in particular, by increasing scrutiny of Russian activities, including Russia’s covert influence efforts and its compliance with the Open Skies Treaty.

• Requires declassification reviews of intelligence on past terrorist activities of individuals transferred from Guantanamo Bay to foreign countries; and, if any such intelligence is declassified, also requires public release of information about how such countries are mitigating threats posed by the former detainees.

• Prevents the executive branch from charging greater reproduction fees for mandatory declassification reviews than it would charge for Freedom of Information Act requests.

• Clarifies eligibility for death benefits for Central Intelligence Agency personnel.

• Improves Intelligence Community reporting to Congress.

House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes said, “The IAA is the most critical legislation in Congress for providing the Intelligence Community with the resources and authorities it needs to protect the American people from terrorists, cyber-attacks, and hostile nation-states. The Act will also ensure robust congressional oversight of the Intelligence Community’s activities. I look forward to the Act’s swift passage in the Senate and the President signing it into law.”

Ranking Member Adam Schiff said, “This year’s intelligence authorization will ensure that our military and intelligence agencies and professionals have the resources, authorities and capabilities they need to protect our nation. The IAA will also ensure that we will maintain thorough and tenacious oversight, particularly to ensure that Americans’ privacy and civil liberties are protected. I look forward to its passage in the Senate, and the President signing it into law.”

Source: HPSCI

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This bipartisan legislation provides the Intelligence Community authorization needed to protect and defend the United States. It is similar to H.R. 5077, which passed the House in May 2016 by a 371-35 margin, and also reflects negotiations with the Senate. The bill supports critical national security programs such as those protecting Americans against terrorism and cyberattacks. Among other things, the legislation:

• Sustains critical capabilities to fight terrorism and counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
• Shines a light on Guantanamo transfers by requiring declassification reviews of intelligence on past terrorist activities of individuals transferred out of Guantanamo Bay.
• Strengthens Congressional oversight of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) by setting authorization requirements for the PCLOB and directing PCLOB to keep Congress fully informed of its activities in a timely way.
• Caps fees for mandatory declassification reviews to match costs of similar Freedom of Information Act requests.
• Updates Intelligence Community whistleblowing procedures.
• Clarifies eligibility for death benefits for Central Intelligence Agency personnel.
• Improves Intelligence Community reporting to Congress.

For more information on H.R. 6393 click here.

Source: HPSCI

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The IAA directs this report to include the number of United States Government (USG) employees who held a security clearance at each level as of October 1 of the preceding year and the number of USG employees who were approved for a security clearance at each level during the preceding fiscal year.  Similar data pertaining to USG contractors is also required.  Also, for each element of the Intelligence Community (IC), in-depth security clearance timeliness determination metrics are required.

In response to these IAA requirements, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has prepared this 2015 Report on Security Clearance Determinations consistent with the security clearance data requirements as outlined by the categories listed below. ODNI released the report on June 28.

Download the 2015 Security Clearance Determinations Report

Source: ODNI

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The bill (H.R. 5077), which passed unanimously out of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on April 29, ensures that the programs and activities of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC), including Department of Defense (DoD) intelligence elements, are authorized in law and optimally resourced to protect the nation from threats at home and abroad.  Equally important, this critical piece of legislation ensures rigorous congressional oversight of the IC, including over its most sensitive aspects.

In particular, this year’s IAA focuses resources on current challenges, such as the ongoing threat of terrorism from groups such as ISIL, while also prioritizing longer-term threats. The bill includes provisions to enhance congressional oversight of the IC, ensure good governance and fiscal responsibility, and strengthen our technical collection and analysis capabilities across domains as varied as outer space and cyberspace. It also fences significant amounts of funding to better ensure continuous IC accountability throughout the year.

The total funding authorized by H.R. 5077 is consistent with the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 and is nearly equal to the 2017 President’s budget request.  Many important provisions championed by the majority and minority are included in the bill. Specifically, the fiscal year 2017 IAA:

• Emphasizes the need to focus on long-term threats, such as those from an increasingly aggressive China, Russia, and North Korea, while maintaining focus on the immediate threats posed by terrorism and the security challenges in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia;
• Sustains critical capabilities to fight terrorism and counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction;
• Caps fees for mandatory declassification reviews to match costs of Freedom of Information Act requests, and preserves IC elements’ discretion to waive fees for mandatory declassification;

• Includes provisions aimed at better ensuring the integrity of DoD intelligence analysis, and improves procedures for IC whistleblowers to report complaints to Congress;
• Clarifies eligibility for death benefits for Central Intelligence Agency personnel;
• Requires a declassification review of intelligence on the past terrorist activities of certain individuals transferred out of Guantanamo Bay;

• Improves IC reporting to Congress by requiring the IC to provide:
  • Statistics on IC personnel detailed to the National Security Council;
  • Threat reports submitted to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and IC impact statements on CFIUS transactions;
  • National Counterterrorism Center reporting on foreign fighter flows;
  • Follow-up reporting on IC scholarship programs; and
  • Reporting on defense intelligence acquisition milestones.

House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes said, “This bill provides the funding and resources our Intelligence Community needs to accomplish its difficult task of discovering, monitoring, and defusing a wide array of foreign threats to our homeland – including ISIL and al Qaeda, both of which are striving to inspire or carry out attacks on the United States. The large majority in favor of the bill shows there is a wide, bipartisan consensus in Congress for supporting the Intelligence Community with provisions for strict congressional oversight. I look forward to swift passage of the bill in the Senate.”

Ranking Member Adam Schiff (D-CA) said, “The U.S. Intelligence Community does a tremendous job of protecting our nation from the large, diverse and relentless set of global threats we face.  This year’s intelligence authorization bill makes sure our intelligence agencies have the resources, authorities, and capabilities they need to protect our nation, but it also enables the most thorough and tenacious oversight, particularly to make sure privacy and civil liberties are protected.  The bill is strong, and I look forward to working with the Senate, the Administration and all my congressional colleagues to further improve it on its way to becoming law.”

The unclassified bill text and additional information are available here.

Source: HPSCI

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This legislation provides the Intelligence Community authorization needed to protect and defend the United States. It supports critical national security programs such as those protecting Americans against terrorism and cyberattacks. The total funding authorized by the bill is consistent with the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, balancing fiscal discipline and national security.

Among other things, the legislation:

• Sustains critical capabilities to fight terrorism and counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
• Shines a light on Guantanamo transfers by requiring declassification reviews of intelligence on past terrorist activities of individuals transferred out of Guantanamo Bay.
• Strengthens Congressional oversight of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) by setting authorization requirements for the PCLOB and directing PCLOB to keep Congress fully informed of its activities in a timely way.
• Caps fees for mandatory declassification reviews to match costs of similar Freedom of Information Act requests.
• Updates Intelligence Community whistleblowing procedures.
• Clarifies eligibility for death benefits for Central Intelligence Agency personnel.
• Improves Intelligence Community reporting to Congress.

“This bill will keep the Intelligence Community fully funded so it can carry out its vital work protecting Americans from a wide range of pressing foreign threats,” said Chairman Nunes. “At the same time, the bill ensures that Congress has the means to conduct vigorous oversight over the Intelligence Community’s activities. I thank our committee’s members for their bipartisan work in drafting this bill, and I look forward to its swift passage in the House of Representatives.”

For more information on the bill, click here.

Source: HPSCI

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Chairman Nunes: “The American people overwhelmingly agree that we need to improve our defenses against cyber attacks and to keep our Intelligence Community fully funded to track and neutralize terrorists. That consensus is reflected in the big, bipartisan majorities that approved these bills in Congress. I’m grateful to the Appropriations Committee for including these bills in the omnibus package, and I look forward to their swift passage into law.”

Ranking Member Schiff: “Today, Congress greatly contributed to our national security by passing the Intelligence Authorization Act and the Cybersecurity Act.  The IAA is the annual bill that makes sure the U.S. Intelligence Community has what it needs to safeguard the country, particularly in the face of grave threats from terrorism. The bill also ensures that Congress has what it needs to conduct rigorous oversight of the IC and safeguard the privacy of the American people. Additionally, after years of effort, Congress has finally passed a cyber information-sharing bill that tackles the scourge of cyber attacks while providing the strongest privacy protections to date. The Cybersecurity Act is landmark legislation that enables and encourages the private sector and the Government to rapidly and responsibly exchange cyber threat information. With this bill, we are crowdsourcing security so that information about a threat found on one system can be quickly shared – and other companies, agencies and consumers can be protected from a similar attack. At the same time, this bill protects privacy by requiring the removal of any personal information unrelated to the cyber threat prior to sharing and by requiring that it only enter the government through a civilian agency. There is more work to be done to safeguard our networks, our critical infrastructure, and our privacy against cyber bad actors, but this bill takes a critical first step. I congratulate and thank everyone who has worked so hard on the IAA this year and the cyber legislation for many years.”

Source: HPSCI

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The House had previously approved an Intelligence Authorization Act in June. The new version, updated to include measures in the bill reported out by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, provides the Intelligence Community the authorization needed to protect and defend the United States.

It supports critical national security programs such as those protecting Americans against terrorism and cyberattacks. The total funding authorized by the bill is consistent with the Budget Resolution and the Bipartisan Budget Act, balancing fiscal discipline and national security.

House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes said, “Our enemies are rapidly improving their ability to launch devastating cyber-attacks and deadly terror strikes. Amid these elevated threat levels, it’s crucial that our intelligence professionals receive the resources they need to keep Americans safe. This bill will authorize those resources while ensuring full Congressional oversight of the Intelligence Community. I look forward to swift passage of the bill in the Senate so we can quickly get this legislation to the President’s desk.”

Among other things, the legislation:

• Sustains critical capabilities to fight terrorism and counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
• Funds efforts to recover from unauthorized disclosures of intelligence capabilities.
• Sustains activities in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan to continue the fight against ISIL, al Qaeda, and the Taliban.
• Employs Guantanamo Bay closure restrictions which reflect restrictions in the recently signed FY16 National Defense Authorization Act.
• Invests in the resiliency of our national security space architecture.
• Provides policy direction on sensitive intelligence operations.
• Promotes intelligence integration and sharing through investment in Intelligence Community-wide information technology enterprises.
• Enhances investments in military intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft.
• Funds initiatives to thwart cyberattacks and insider threats.

Ranking Member Adam Schiff said, “The recent Paris attacks drive home how vigilant we need to be, and the bill before us provides urgent resources for the fight against ISIS and Al Qaeda. At the same time, we must never let our focus on any one threat or terror group distract us from the other challenges we face, like those from Iran, North Korea, Russia and China. This bill strikes the right balance by providing the necessary means to counter the wide-ranging threats from state and non-state actors, particularly in cyberspace, outer space and the undersea environment.  The bill also takes critical steps to shore up our counter-intelligence capabilities—particularly important in light of the devastating OPM breach. I remain strongly opposed to any restrictions on closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, but as these provisions reflect what is currently in law, I support the larger bill.  Especially with what happened in Paris, we need to act now to fund and enable our intelligence agencies.”

The unclassified bill text and additional information is available here.

Source: HPSCI

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