Sens. Mark Warner and Susan Collins unveiled a bipartisan bill which seeks to secure the integrity of security clearance procedures.

The Integrity in Security Clearance Determinations Act will allow, deny or revoke security clearance requests through the use of a published criteria to allow objectivity, accountability and transparency with the process, Warner’s office said Thursday.

The bill will bar agencies from punishing whistle blowers through the use of security clearances and prevent the executive branch from nullifying clearance requests via constitutional rights. In addition, it will also allow government employees to appeal denials for security clearances.

“This bipartisan bill would make the current system more fair and transparent by ensuring that decisions to grant, deny, or revoke clearances are based solely on established adjudicative guidelines,” Collins said.

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., introduced a bill that aims to support the government’s investment in digital services including corresponding personnel and technologies.

The Digital Service Act would allocate $50M in annual funds for the U.S. Digital Service and $15M in annual grants for equivalent efforts in state and local governments, Harris’ office said Thursday.

The proposed legislation would also mandate that at least 50 percent of each grant is used for personnel. Grant recipients would report results every two years.

“The Digital Service Act will help harness top talent for the government, save taxpayer dollars and put the power of technology to work on behalf of the American people,” Harris said.

The Center for Democracy and Technology, a nonprofit, supports the bill.

Jeff Schlagenhauf, associate director for economic policy with the Office of Management and Budget, noted at a recent Bipartisan Policy Center event that the government is facing obstacles on implementing evidence-based policymaking, FCW reported Friday.

The proposed evidence-driven process includes establishing a government-wide data advisory committee and identifying chief data officers and their learning agenda, he said.

Diana Epstein, leader of the OMB evidence team, said there is no consistency across government agencies regarding use of evidence-based methods in the government’s business functions. She noted her office is working on integrating evidence-based policymaking into budgeting operations and other existing processes.

OMB has been conducting a forum that enables agencies to present their own decision-making processes every month. The office also launched an intranet page to help agencies manage the effort.

An Air Force official said the military branch is planning to expand its “pitch day” concept across the country, National Defense reported Friday.

Will Roper, assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics for the Air Force and a 2019 Wash100 winner, noted that officials plan to hold events in cities and other areas where the service does not have a presence. He added that USAF is considering a “pitch bowl” concept that will serve as a major competitive event for companies seeking to present their ideas and technologies.

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, a 2019 Wash100 winner who will retire in May, is expected to announce the host city for the next pitch day. Roper said he is excited to see technologies will be showcased at the event, particularly those involving artificial intelligence.

The Wash100 award, now in its sixth year, recognizes the most influential executives in the GovCon industry as selected by the Executive Mosaic team in tandem with online nominations from the GovCon community. Representing the best of the private and public sector, the winners demonstrate superior leadership, innovation, reliability, achievement and vision.

Visit the Wash100 site to learn about the other 99 winners of the 2019 Wash100 Award. On the site, you can submit your 10 votes for the GovCon executives of consequence that you believe will have the most significant impact in 2019.

The U.S. Navy delayed its acquisition of an initial Large Surface Combatant ship from fiscal year 2023 to FY 2025, USNI News reported Friday.

Ron O’Rourke, naval affairs specialist for the Congressional Research Service, said he believes the lead LSC vessel did not appear in the FY 2020 budget request because it is scheduled for FY25. However, the Navy is looking to accelerate the acquisition process which may lead to the LSC effort being covered by an earlier budget proposal.

The FY20 budget, which covers shipbuilding programs running through FY 2024, will continue the production of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers throughout a five-year period. The Navy intends to use its Requirements Evaluation Team to accelerate procurement procedures and promote coordination between engineers, contracting officers, industry and requirements staff.

A group of House lawmakers called on the House Appropriations Committee to include a provision to compensate federal contractor workers for their lost wages in upcoming funding measures as the result of a 35-day partial government shutdown. The lawmakers sent a letter Thursday to Committee Chairman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) and Ranking Member Kay Granger (R-Texas) citing the financial impact of the shutdown on employees of federal contractors.

“There are bipartisan bills in the Senate and House of Representatives that would provide back pay to compensate federal contractor employees for their lost wages,” the lawmakers wrote. “As supporters of these efforts, we strongly urge you to include back pay for federal contractor employees in any supplemental appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) 2019 or as part of the regular appropriations process for FY 2020.”

The letter was signed by 48 members of the lower chamber, including Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-Washington, D.C.) and Elijah Cummings (D-Md.)