Fitness Information Transparency Act of 2018

Floor Speech

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Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6374, the Fitness Information Transparency Act of 2018. H.R. 6374 would require the Department of Homeland Security to issue uniform standards to vet Federal contractors seeking to work for the department.

Currently, there is no standard for vetting contractors to determine their fitness to access DHS facilities, IT systems, and sensitive information. Each component has different standards, different procedures, and different adjudicators for contractor fitness. Lack of a department-wide uniform standard hinders reciprocity across the department. As a result, the committee has received testimony that contractors who work for multiple DHS components are investigated over and over and over again. What a waste of time and resources.

Today, DHS contractors routinely wait 3 to 4 months, if not longer, to be investigated, regardless of whether they have already been determined to be fit by another DHS component. This wait time is costly for not only the contractor, but it also hinders the ability of the Department of Homeland Security to execute its mission.

Today, neither the contractor nor their employer is regularly informed of the status of their investigation. Enactment of H.R. 6374 would help ensure that Federal contractor firms can access timely information regarding the status of their employees' fitness investigations.

Thanks to language that was authored by Representative Correa and accepted in committee, H.R. 6374 also recognizes that weaknesses in DHS fitness processes not only undermine the onboarding of Federal contractors in a timely way but also the onboarding of new DHS employees.

Representative Correa's amendment would require the department to take steps to improve the suitability determination process for Federal applicants and appointees and to report on the degree to which components and offices are granting reciprocity to individuals who are employed by other components or offices within the DHS.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this measure. H.R. 6374 improves the Department of Homeland Security's contractor investigation process by requiring a uniform set of standards, encouraging reciprocity among components, and enhancing communication between the department and the private sector.

It is our duty as Members of Congress to ensure processes are followed and that such processes are effective and efficient. H.R. 6374 seeks to do just that.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 6374, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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