H.R. 1591 — Security Clearance Review Act

This section amends Section 3001 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (50 U.S.C. 3341) by adding subsection (k) to require that (1) political appointees (as defined in the Edward “Ted” Kaufman and Michael Leavitt Presidential Transitions Improvements Act of 2015) and special Government employees (as defined in 18 U.S.C. 202(i.e., temporary executive or legislative branch officers or employees serving not more than 130 days in any 365-day period)) may not be employed in, detailed to, or assigned to the Executive Office of the President (EOP) unless consistent with national security and may not receive a security clearance or access classified information unless granted by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; (2) the FBI Director notify the President and appropriate congressional committees immediately upon any denial, suspension, or revocation of such a clearance or access; and (3) if the President nullifies, reverses, modifies, or disregards such a determination, the President submit a written explanation to the committees within 30 days. (Thus, this shifts final clearance authority for these EOP positions from typical agency processes to the FBI Director, with mandatory congressional oversight of adverse actions and presidential overrides.)