OMB proposes security clearance system reform

The Office of Management and Budget yesterday submitted to President Bush a proposal to expedite hiring and security clearances for individuals and contractors to work for the government.

The proposal is more a broad outline for security clearance reform than a detailed plan. Specific reforms will be addressed in further reports this year, said Clay Johnson, OMB deputy director of management.

"This report lays out the general approach we want to take to reform the system," Johnson said in a news conference today. "We have been making security clearance determinations the same way for 50 years, and it's time to change the way we do that."

"This was the first of several reports that will be made to the president over the course of this year about the reforms that we think are important to make," he said. "It will be the end of the year or the latter part of this year before we have identified all of the specific reforms to be made and an implementation plan for all those reforms."

Key elements in the proposed reforms include:

• Collecting and validating more relevant information at the beginning of the clearance process, to be done electronically when possible.
  
• Using automation to make the process faster, reduce manual work and incorporate additional data sources.
  
• Focusing field investigative work to collect and validate targeted information.
  
• Making decisions using modern analytic methods rather than practices that avoid risk.
  
• Reducing duplication of requests and ensuring consistent quality and standards.
  
• Replacing periodic re-investigations with continuous-evaluation techniques and using more frequent automated database checks that identify security issues among already cleared employees to resolve issues as they arise.