STEVE KNIGHT: “I would like to thank Mr. Connolly for his help and his partnership in the SECRET Act. Today, I rise in support of this…”

“I would like to thank Mr. Connolly for his help and his partnership in the SECRET Act. Today, I rise in support of this straightforward bipartisan legislation, the SECRET Act, or Securely Expediting Clearances Through Reporting Transparency Act. I am proud to say that this bill originated from concerns voiced by my constituents. California's 25th District serves as a hub for many national security programs, and by extension, requires a highly skilled, security-cleared industrial base and workforce. But this doesn't just affect southern California. This is a national issue and must be addressed now. Many employers are either unable to recruit workers due to excessive backlog of security clearance investigations or are forced to place employees in unfulfilling positions while they wait unacceptable amounts of time for their investigations to be completed. {time} 1415 Mr. Speaker, we are fortunate to live in a country with selfless citizens who seek to serve our Nation in critical national security positions and work towards safety at home and abroad. We need these bright minds to solve incredibly difficult problems and develop the next generation of American-made technology. We should reward them for choosing to work toward something greater than themselves, not punish them with jobs they don't want just because our bureaucracies can't move fast enough. I introduced the SECRET Act so Congress can do its job of oversight better.…”