Defense and national security

Executive Order 13467: Reforming Processes Related to Suitability for Government Employment, Fitness for Contractor Employees, and Eligibility for Access to Classified National Security Information

President: George W. Bush

Reformed executive processes for suitability, contractor fitness and classified-access eligibility.

Status: Completed/expired. Is Executive Order 13467 still in effect? No. Executive Order 13467 is completed or expired. See Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 13467 do?

EO 13764 amended EO 13467 in January 2017 to update executive-agent roles and vetting processes, including sensitive positions.

Administration position: Executive vetting processes operate alongside statutory hiring and classification requirements; the amendment was not a blanket security-clearance grant.
SignedJune 30, 2008
Original directionReformed executive processes for suitability, contractor fitness and classified-access eligibility.
Later evidenceEO 13764 amended EO 13467 in January 2017 to update executive-agent roles and vetting processes, including sensitive positions.
Review dateSeptember 26, 2026

Before and after

Before the order

Personnel-vetting duties were divided across federal agencies and security functions.

After the order

EO 13764 amended EO 13467 in January 2017 to update executive-agent roles and vetting processes, including sensitive positions.

Executive vetting processes operate alongside statutory hiring and classification requirements; the amendment was not a blanket security-clearance grant.

Who had to do what

Source: Signed Federal Register text.
Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Covered executive agenciesAlign investigations and adjudications with consistent standards, avoid duplicating lower-level work, and reciprocally accept results unless law permits otherwise; obtain the appropriate executive agent's approval for additional requirements beyond permissible polygraph requirements.When conducting or accepting investigations and adjudications; added requirements limited to significant agency needs or national security.
OMB Deputy Director for Management, as Council chairDirect the Performance Accountability Council, choose a vice chair, designate additional members, and may assign Council alignment and improvement functions to agency heads.During reform implementation; no fixed appointment deadline.
Council vice chairAct in the chair's absence.When the chair is absent.
Suitability and Security Clearance Performance Accountability CouncilDrive reform, align suitability and security processes, hold agencies accountable, set enterprise IT requirements, goals, and metrics, oversee improved tools, arbitrate procedural differences, share practices, and advise executive agents.Annual goals and annual results reports; ongoing oversight.
Director of the Office of Personnel Management, as Suitability Executive AgentDevelop and implement uniform policies for timely suitability and logical and physical access investigations and adjudications; approve appropriate additional requirements.During investigations and adjudications; no calendar deadline.
Director of National Intelligence, as Security Executive AgentOversee security investigations and decisions; set uniform policies and continuous-evaluation standards; designate investigating and eligibility-deciding agencies; resolve reciprocity disputes; assume Security Policy Board policy-coordination duties. May issue guidance and assign functions under oversight.Ongoing; continuous-evaluation frequency set by the DNI.
Heads of agenciesCarry out assigned functions, assist the Council and executive agents, implement their policies, supply lawful requested information, and account for counterintelligence and presidential constitutional authorities.When functions are assigned, policies issued, or information requested.
Later actionEO 13764 amended EO 13467 in January 2017 to update executive-agent roles and vetting processes, including sensitive positions.January 17, 2017

What happened next

EO 13467 signed.

EO 13764 amended EO 13467 in January 2017 to update executive-agent roles and vetting processes, including sensitive positions.