July 14, 2023

This morning, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a party-line vote of 219-210. The base text of the NDAA includes the SWACCA-advocated “Base Access Privileges Improvement Act” (H.R. 2866). H.R. 2866 addresses the mandatory background check and credentialing standards applicable to federal contractors and their employees and is intended to replace base-specific access policies with national standards set by the Defense Department. These national standards would set forth minimum criteria for personnel vetting and determining the fitness of individuals for unescorted access to military installations. SWACCA provided significant input during the drafting of the legislation, which also provides screening standards that are appropriate for the type of installation involved and standardized protocols for determining the fitness of an individual to enter an installation and for verifying their identity. It also requires the Defense Department to consider whether an individual holds a valid federally-recognized access credential with more rigorous vetting—such as a TWIC or SIDA badge—for purposes of granting expedited access to military facilities.

The Senate is planning to pass its own version of the NDAA and will go to conference on the bill later this summer to produce a compromise version of the bill that can be signed into law before the end of the year.

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