S. 2610, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, was introduced by Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) on August 4, 2021, to authorize a wide range of intelligence community activities for the fiscal year. The bill covers topics from UAP (unidentified aerial phenomena) data sharing and whistleblower protections to diversity hiring and security clearance reform. It was reported out of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on August 10, 2021.
What does the bill do for UAP oversight?
Section 345 is the bill's main UAP provision. It requires the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense to make sure every intelligence community element and Defense Department unit with UAP data shares that data immediately with the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force and the National Air and Space Intelligence Center. The bill also requires the Task Force to send quarterly reports to Congress, starting no later than 90 days after enactment, covering all UAP-related events from the previous 90 days plus any older events not previously reported. Those reports must be submitted in classified form.
What whistleblower changes does the bill propose?
Subtitle B of Title III includes several provisions to strengthen protections for intelligence community whistleblowers. Section 321 modifies how whistleblowers can submit complaints to Congress, and Section 324 prohibits disclosing a whistleblower's identity as a form of retaliation. The bill also works to harmonize whistleblower protections across different parts of the intelligence community.
What does the bill do on diversity and personnel?
The bill authorizes the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to support recruitment, retention, diversity, equity, and inclusion activities across the intelligence community. It formally establishes a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer position within the ODNI. A separate pilot program would test student loan repayment as a recruitment tool for certain Office of Intelligence and Analysis positions at the Department of the Treasury.
What other notable provisions are included?
Title IV creates a framework for addressing anomalous health incidents (sometimes called Havana Syndrome), including a joint task force to investigate them and an advisory panel on CIA medical services. Title V addresses security clearance reform, including a right to appeal when access to classified information is denied or revoked. The bill also prohibits intelligence community elements from collecting or analyzing information about U.S. persons based solely on First Amendment-protected activity.