A bipartisan bill offered in the Senate would require an automated search of public records and databases for information on every individual with a security clearance at least twice, at random times, every five years. The bill is a reaction to recent leaks and the shooting at the Washington Navy Yard involving persons with clearances, although those incidents involved contractor employees, not federal employees. The audits would cover information that clearance holders already must disclose, including information relating to any criminal or civil legal proceeding and certain financial information. It also would search data maintained on any terrorist or criminal watch list and any publicly-available information that suggests ill intent, vulnerability to blackmail, compulsive behavior, allegiance to another country, or change in ideology of the covered individual. If the review finds any information pertinent to security clearance, OPM notify the employing agency and standard procedures would be followed regarding the appropriate level of clearance and access to classified information, and potentially even eligibility for continued employment.
