PSC and Industry Associations Urge Congress to Swiftly Enact Sen. Warner’s Security Clearance Reform Bill Enactment of the Modernizing the Trusted Workforce for the 21st Century Act Would Make “Critical Improvements”

Arlington, Va. (Dec. 13, 2018)— The Professional Services Council (PSC), joined by partnering industry associations, are urging lawmakers to swiftly enact legislation to make critical improvements to the federal government’s security clearance process prior to adjournment of the 115th Congress.

PSC and the Aerospace Industries Association, the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, and the Northern Virginia Technology Council applauded the introduction of the Modernizing the Trusted Workforce for the 21st Century Act of 2018 (S. 3724) and urged the Congress to prioritize and enact its provisions this year. The bill was introduced last week by Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) Vice Chairman Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA).

The associations’ joint letter to Sen. Warner stated that enactment "will help make the security clearance process better, faster, and more secure." The letter also highlighted seven ways that the changes will modernize and improve the process.  

“PSC and the contractor community owe Vice Chairman Warner thanks for his tenacious and persistent focus on modernizing and streamlining the federal government’s security clearance processes,” said David J. Berteau, president and CEO of the Professional Services Council. “The current backlog and wait times add risk to government missions, contract performance, and the ability of both the government and contractors to recruit and hire the talent we need. Enactment of the Modernizing the Trusted Workforce for the 21st Century Act will reduce these negative impacts while maintaining integrity in the system and better protecting our national security.”

Sen. Warner’s legislation is similar to Title VI of the Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2019 (S. 3153), which was reported by the SSCI in June and also has strong support among the defense and technology focused trade associations.  

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Media Contact: 
Ashlei Stevens
Director, Media Relations
703.875.8974 stevens@pscouncil.org 
About PSC: PSC is the voice of the government technology and professional services industry. PSC’s nearly 400-member companies represent small, medium and large businesses that provide federal agencies with services of all kinds, including information technology, engineering, logistics, facilities management, operations and maintenance, consulting, international development, scientific, social, environmental services, and more. Together, the trade association’s members employ hundreds     of thousands of Americans in all 50 states. Follow PSC on Twitter @PSCSpeaks. To learn more, visit www.pscouncil.org.