[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 203 (Monday, December 16, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7040-S7042]

[...]

Damon Paul Nelson and Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization 
               Act for Fiscal Years 2018, 2019, and 2020

  Mr. BURR. Mr. President, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence 
has worked over the past 3 years to build a critical piece of 
legislation. The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2018, 
2019, and 2020 supports vital important programs and takes bold steps 
to defend this country.
  Last year, the Senate Intelligence Committee unanimously passed our 
bill with a vote of 15 to 0. ``Unanimous'' is not a word you hear very 
much in Washington today, but it speaks to the importance of the issues 
and the comprehensiveness of this bill. This success is also thanks to 
the efforts of Vice Chairman Warner.
  In June we partnered with our colleagues on the Armed Services to 
simultaneously push forward both bills. The NDAA and the IAA 
combination passed with a vote of 86 to 8.
  Likewise, the House Intelligence Committee bill captured an 
overwhelming vote in the full House when it passed in July by a vote of 
397 to 31.
  After many months of work and negotiations, we have before us a 
bipartisan, comprehensive bill that improves our defenses today and 
will give the intelligence community the resources it needs to defend 
us in the years to come.
  For example, it deters Russian and other foreign influence in our 
elections and facilitates information sharing between Federal, State, 
and local election officials. It protects the Nation's supply chain 
from counterintelligence threats from countries such as Russia and 
China. In order to accomplish these goals, the bill increases scrutiny 
of Russian activities in our country. We require Russian diplomats to 
notify the State Department of their travel inside the United States. 
We counter Russian propaganda, and we require threat assessments on 
Russian financial activities.
  To accomplish these missions, we need highly talented 
counterintelligence officers. We must verify that they are worthy of 
these positions of extreme trust, and we must compensate them fairly 
for the sacrifices they make. So our bill improves the security 
clearance process--and large credit goes to the vice chairman--by 
reducing backlogs, improving clearance information sharing, and holding 
the executive branch responsible for the modernizing the clearance 
process.
  Our bill supports the intelligence community personnel by enhancing 
pay scales for certain cyber security positions, increasing recruitment 
efforts, and creating a pathway to give new parents the time they need 
to support their growing families. We ask our Nation's defenders to 
miss soccer games and family dinners. We can give them space and 
security to support new moms, new dads, and new babies.
  Lastly, the bill continues a long and vital history of accountability 
for our most sensitive intelligence programs. My colleagues and I on 
the committee have happily accepted the privilege and the weighty 
responsibility of monitoring the intelligence programs on behalf of all 
85 of our colleagues. We have done so with reasoned debate and 
bipartisan agreement, and we have done so knowing that even though new 
threats keep us up at night, they are oftentimes being met by heroic 
men and women who allow the rest of us in this country to sleep 
soundly.
  It is noteworthy that the last intelligence authorization bill was 
enacted on May 5, 2017. We cannot afford to go this long again without 
the authorities that our intelligence agencies need to do their work. 
We must be credible, dependable, and yearly check on intelligence 
activities.
  One final note, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 
2018, 2019, and 2020 is named for two of our colleagues whom we lost 
recently. Matthew Pollard and Damon Nelson worked for the Senate and 
House Intelligence Committees, respectively. Their families lost them 
too soon, and we are poorer for the loss of their friendship and their 
expertise. We are proud to pass this bill in their honor and look 
forward to its swift enactment.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, first of all, let me acknowledge my friend 
and colleague and the chairman of my committee, Richard Burr, for his 
great work. I am going to talk about him in a moment. I do hope the 
Record captured the nice things he said about me. Usually, he 
characterizes me in a different way, but I am grateful for his comments 
today.
  I rise today in support of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2020, which includes the Damon Paul Nelson and Matthew 
Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2018, 
2019, and 2020. Congressional passage of the Intelligence Authorization 
Act provides support for our Nation's critical intelligence programs 
and ensures that the hard-working men and women in the intelligence 
community have the authorities and resources they need to defend our 
Nation. It also improves the oversight of our Nation's 17 intelligence 
agencies, which operate around the globe.
  Before I get into the specifics, I want to note that this important 
bill is the product of bipartisan work made possible by Chairman Burr's 
leadership. It was thanks to the chairman's leadership that the IAA was 
unanimously passed by the committee in May and included as part of the 
Senate's National Defense Authorization Act in June.
  I also want to take this opportunity to thank my friends on the 
Senate Armed Services Committee, especially the Senators from Oklahoma 
and Rhode Island, Senator Inhofe and Ranking Member Reed. Robust 
intelligence supports our soldiers and military operations. So I thank 
them for allowing the IAA to be considered along with the Defense 
authorization bill.

[[Page S7042]]

  As vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I am proud of 
several provisions within the IAA, particularly those aimed at tackling 
the technological threats from China, bolstering intelligence security 
against foreign malign influence, and enhancing whistleblower processes 
to protect the brave individuals who come forward to report waste, 
fraud, abuse, and other malfeasance.
  Beyond these provisions, I want to highlight a few others that I 
believe will have a real impact on our Nation's security and the 
individuals serving in the IC.
  First, as the chairman has already mentioned, there is paid parental 
leave. The National Defense Authorization Act includes a landmark 
provision that grants 12 weeks of paid parental leave for government 
employees. This builds upon the original bipartisan provision included 
in the Senate-passed IAA, which gave 12 weeks of paid parental leave to 
IC personnel, including adoptive and foster parents. This important 
provision will help to recruit and retain top talent across the 
government, including within the IC.
  Frankly, this is a vital step forward for families across the Nation, 
and I am glad that our committee helped to lay the groundwork for this 
milestone achievement.
  Next, deterring foreign interference in our elections. The IAA 
includes a number of provisions that are particularly important as we 
enter a Presidential election year. These include measures to deter 
foreign interference, including increased sharing of information 
between State, local, and Federal officials. It also creates an 
independent Social Media Data and Threat Analysis Center to counter 
foreign propaganda. Additionally, it includes provisions to counter the 
use of ``deepfakes'' and other emerging technologies by our 
adversaries.
  Next, there are security clearance reforms. Additionally, the IAA 
includes several provisions to modernize the government's outdated 
security clearance process. The bill advances reforms that will make 
the system simpler and more transparent. It will capitalize on advanced 
technology and reflect the demand of today's mobile workforce. It calls 
for specific plans to reduce the background investigation and 
adjudication backlogs and to improve information sharing, so that only 
the folks who deserve a clearance can have one. These provisions are 
critically important to the government and our industry partners in 
maintaining a trusted and agile workforce.

  The next provision is the creation of a public-private talent 
exchange. Finally, I want to highlight a provision that creates this IC 
public-private talent exchange. This exchange will allow employees to 
move between the public and private sectors more readily, broadening 
the expertise perspective of our workforce, because, frankly, solving 
the complex problems facing our government today requires robust 
partnership with industry.
  The IAA also contains provisions on the security risks posed by 
climate change, 5G, and hostile foreign intelligence services, to name 
just a few.
  Before I conclude, I thank my friend the chairman, Richard Burr, as 
well as the hard-working bipartisan staff of the Intelligence 
Committee, without whose work this achievement certainly would not have 
been possible. I am proud of the work we have done. I am proud of the 
fact that this may be the only major authorization bill that, in a 
committee, received unanimous support, and I hope it bodes well for 
future cooperation going forward.
  Before I yield the floor, let me acknowledge a great member of our 
committee, the Senator from Maine, who was absolutely central to the 
successful conclusion of this legislation.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.

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