Tester's Bill to Strengthen National Security Passes Senate

Senatorâ??s Legislation to Reform Background Check Process Moves Forward

(Missoula, Mont.) -Senator Jon Tester’s bill to strengthen national security and reform the security clearance process has been passed by the U.S. Senate.

Tester’s Security Clearance Accountability, Reform, and Enhancement (SCARE) Act prohibits federal contractors and employees who have compromised the integrity of a background investigation from performing future background investigations.

“As the Trump Administration begins to take shape and a new crop of folks start requesting security clearances, it’s more important than ever to make sure this process is thorough,” said Tester, a member of the Homeland Security Committee. “We must protect our nation’s most sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands and the SCARE Act will better ensure our nation is protected from insider threats.”

Noting that more than 4 million Americans have a security clearance, Tester’s SCARE Act also forces the federal government to update policies determining which positions and contracts require a security clearance.

Tester introduced the SCARE Act after the high-profile cases of Edward Snowden and Aaron Alexis revealed serious lapses in the screening process.

Last Congress, the President signed into law Tester’s SCORE Act that brought greater transparency into the background investigation process for security clearances.

You can read about Senator Tester’s work reforming the background security clearance process HERE.