10 U.S.C. § 119 — Special access programs: congressional oversight

submitted 39 years ago by Pub. L. 100-180 to r/title-10-ARMED-FORCES · 888 words · no verdicts yet

in plain englishAI-generated · not legal advice

This law makes the Secretary of Defense report to Congress each year on special access programs and their costs. New programs need a separate notice and justification. Classification changes and new programs both require advance notice to Congress.

(a) Annual report on all special access programs. (1) By March 1 each year, the Secretary of Defense must report to the defense committees on special access programs. (2) Each report must include: the total amount the President's budget requests for these programs; and for each program in that budget - a brief description, its major milestones, its actual cost for each past fiscal year it has run, and its estimated total cost plus the estimated cost for the current year, the budget year, and the next four years. (3) If, because of multi-year defense budgeting, the President's budget for the next fiscal year doesn't include a full request, the report must instead show the total amount already appropriated plus any additional amount requested for these programs, along with the same per-program details as in (2)(B). (b) Notice of new programs. (1) By February 1 each year, the Secretary must report to the defense committees on each new special access program, giving notice that it's been designated as such and justifying that designation. (2) This report must include the program's current estimated total cost, and identify any existing programs or technologies with a similar mission or technology. (3) "New special access program" means one that hasn't already been covered in an earlier notice and justification under this subsection. (c) Notice of classification changes or declassification. (1) Whenever the Secretary plans to change a program's classification, or to declassify and make public any classified information about it, the Secretary must report the change, the reasons for it, and any planned public announcement to the defense committees. (2) This report is generally due at least 14 days before the change or announcement happens. (3) If the Secretary decides exceptional circumstances make that 14-day deadline impossible, the Secretary may submit the report at any time before the change or announcement, as long as the report explains those exceptional circumstances. (d) Whenever the policy or criteria the Department uses to designate a program as a special access program is changed or ended, the Secretary must promptly tell the defense committees, explaining why and - if it was changed rather than ended - what the new policy says. (e) Waivers. (1) The Secretary may waive, case by case, any requirement to include certain information in a report under (a), (b), or (c), if including it would hurt national security. (2) If the Secretary uses this waiver, the Secretary must still give that withheld information - plus the reason for the waiver - directly to the chairman and ranking member of each defense committee. (f) A special access program cannot be started until the defense committees have been notified about it, and at least 30 days have passed since that notice. (g) In this section, "defense committees" means the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, and the Senate and House Appropriations Committees along with their Defense subcommittees.

the actual law source: uscode.house.gov ↗public domain

(a)

(1)

Not later than March 1 of each year, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the defense committees a report on special access programs.

(2)

Each such report shall set forth—

(A)

the total amount requested for special access programs of the Department of Defense in the President’s budget for the next fiscal year submitted under section 1105 of title 31; and

(B)

for each program in that budget that is a special access program—

(i)

a brief description of the program;

(ii)

a brief discussion of the major milestones established for the program;

(iii)

the actual cost of the program for each fiscal year during which the program has been conducted before the fiscal year during which that budget is submitted; and

(iv)

the estimated total cost of the program and the estimated cost of the program for (I) the current fiscal year, (II) the fiscal year for which the budget is submitted, and (III) each of the four succeeding fiscal years during which the program is expected to be conducted.

(3)

In the case of a report under paragraph (1) submitted in a year during which the President’s budget for the next fiscal year, because of multiyear budgeting for the Department of Defense, does not include a full budget request for the Department of Defense, the report required by paragraph (1) shall set forth—

(A)

the total amount already appropriated for the next fiscal year for special access programs of the Department of Defense and any additional amount requested in that budget for such programs for such fiscal year; and

(B)

for each program of the Department of Defense that is a special access program, the information specified in paragraph (2)(B).

(b)

(1)

Not later than February 1 of each year, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the defense committees a report that, with respect to each new special access program, provides—

(A)

notice of the designation of the program as a special access program; and

(B)

justification for such designation.

(2)

A report under paragraph (1) with respect to a program shall include—

(A)

the current estimate of the total program cost for the program; and

(B)

an identification of existing programs or technologies that are similar to the technology, or that have a mission similar to the mission, of the program that is the subject of the notice.

(3)

In this subsection, the term “new special access program” means a special access program that has not previously been covered in a notice and justification under this subsection.

(c)

(1)

Whenever a change in the classification of a special access program of the Department of Defense is planned to be made or whenever classified information concerning a special access program of the Department of Defense is to be declassified and made public, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the defense committees a report containing a description of the proposed change, the reasons for the proposed change, and notice of any public announcement planned to be made with respect to the proposed change.

(2)

Except as provided in paragraph (3), any report referred to in paragraph (1) shall be submitted not less than 14 days before the date on which the proposed change or public announcement is to occur.

(3)

If the Secretary determines that because of exceptional circumstances the requirement of paragraph (2) cannot be met with respect to a proposed change or public announcement concerning a special access program of the Department of Defense, the Secretary may submit the report required by paragraph (1) regarding the proposed change or public announcement at any time before the proposed change or public announcement is made and shall include in the report an explanation of the exceptional circumstances.

(d)

Whenever there is a modification or termination of the policy and criteria used for designating a program of the Department of Defense as a special access program, the Secretary of Defense shall promptly notify the defense committees of such modification or termination. Any such notification shall contain the reasons for the modification or termination and, in the case of a modification, the provisions of the policy as modified.

(e)

(1)

The Secretary of Defense may waive any requirement under subsection (a), (b), or (c) that certain information be included in a report under that subsection if the Secretary determines that inclusion of that information in the report would adversely affect the national security. Any such waiver shall be made on a case-by-case basis.

(2)

If the Secretary exercises the authority provided under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall provide the information described in that subsection with respect to the special access program concerned, and the justification for the waiver, jointly to the chairman and ranking minority member of each of the defense committees.

(f)

A special access program may not be initiated until—

(1)

the defense committees are notified of the program; and

(2)

a period of 30 days elapses after such notification is received.

(g)

In this section, the term “defense committees” means—

(1)

the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Appropriations, and the Defense Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, of the Senate; and

(2)

the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Appropriations, and the Subcommittee on Defense of the Committee on Appropriations, of the House of Representatives.

Source credit: (Added Pub. L. 100–180, div. A, title XI, § 1132(a)(1), Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1151; amended Pub. L. 101–510, div. A, title XIV, §§ 1461, 1482(a), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1698, 1709; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title X, § 1055, title XV, § 1502(a)(4), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 442, 502; Pub. L. 106–65, div. A, title X, § 1067(1), Oct. 5, 1999, 113 Stat. 774; Pub. L. 107–107, div. A, title X, § 1048(a)(2), Dec. 28, 2001, 115 Stat. 1222.)

history & why it existsrecord from the source credit

1987Enacted · Pub. L. 100-180 · 101 Stat. 1151
1990Amended · Pub. L. 101-510 · 104 Stat. 1698, 1709
1996Amended · Pub. L. 104-106 · 110 Stat. 442, 502
1999Amended · Pub. L. 106-65 · 113 Stat. 774
2001Amended · Pub. L. 107-107 · 115 Stat. 1222

A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 100-180 on 1987-12-04.

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