The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that would increase oversight into how the government conducts background investigations. The bill, H.R. 2860, the OPM IG Act (Office of Personnel Management Inspector General Act), will give the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) inspector general’s office access to new funding to conduct audits, investigations, and other oversight activities. A nearly identical bill, the Security Clearance Oversight and Reform Enhancement (SCORE) Act, passed the Senate in October. Both bills were written partly due to reports about inconsistencies and lack of thoroughness in the background checking process. They were also written due to questions about background checks resulting from some recent high profile cases. The bill would provide oversight of the $2 billion OPM revolving fund that federal agencies pay into for human resources services, including conducting background checks. “For many years, there have been increased referrals of alleged fraud within the revolving fund operations, including in the background investigations used to determine an individuals’ eligibility for a security clearance,” said Rep. Blake Farenthold. “That’s a big problem with serious national security implications.” The House and Senate bills “will increase oversight and empower watchdogs to make our nation safer and our government more efficient,” said Sen. Jon Tester after the House approved its version of the bill.
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W. Barry Nixon is the COO, PreemploymentDirectory.com the leading background screening information portal and online worldwide directory of professional background screening firms and Suppliers to the background screening industry. He co-authored the landmark book, Background Screening & Investigations: Managing Hiring Risk from the HR and Security Perspective. He also is the publisher of award winning newsletters, The Background Buzz and The Global Background Screener, and the author of the Background Checks column in PI Magazine.
In addition, Barry is a past recipient of the elite ‘Top 25 Influential People in Security’ by Security Magazine and past Co-Chair, International Committee for the National Association for Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS). He currently serves as a Global Ambassador for NAPBS.
You can contact Barry at 1-949-770-5264 or online at wbnixon@preemploymentdirectory.com