An anonymous reader writes:
NASA administrator Michael Griffin has ordered all JPL employees to be
put through intrusive background investigations. The background checks
will be conducted for all employees, whether or not they are working on
anything sensitive. For example, in addition to the scientists and
engineers, they will be performed for landscapers, construction workers,
and consulting faculty members.
The checks ostensibly will determine "unswerving loyalty" to the United
States. Employees must fill out forms ask about drug usage, selective
service registration, residences, employment, degrees, and names of at
least 5 references (supervisors, neighbors, personal). The listed
references are then sent forms which ask for information about the
person's financial integrity, mental and emotional stability, and drug
usage. Employees must also sign a release allowing any federal agent to
request any information about the employee from anyone, for an
investigation scope that in their words is "not limited."
After the investigation, a determination of suitability for federal
employment is made. For this purpose, the Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) has an "issue characterization chart" that categorizes
bad deeds which alone or in combination would debar someone. For
example, three instances of "attitude" within three years would debar
someone. Curiously, "breaking and entering" alone does not debar
someone. "Carnal knowledge" is an automatic debarment. I'm perhaps not
current with my euphemisms, but that seems to debar anyone who lists
children on their investigation forms. Also "sodomy" is an automatic
debarment.
JPL employees have been notified that they must fill out and sign the
release forms and get fingerprinted and photographed by October 27,
2007, or they will be considered to have "voluntarily" resigned (i.e.,
no severance pay). Employees who agree to participate but whose
paperwork does not make it through the bureaucracy by October 27 will be
placed on leave without pay.
This program is in accordance with George W. Bush's Homeland Security
Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which asked the Dept. of Commerce
to develop an identification standard for federal employees and
contractors. DoC came back with a standard, FIPS 201-1, whose literal
wording does not exclude the possibility of a colonoscopy as part of the
investigation.
This rebadging effort is costing JPL $6 million, which it must eat out
of its own burden funds which normally pays for operating the lab and
funding internal research and development. Overall, NASA is spending
$112 million to $160 million to implement the program. The
investigations must be repeated every five years.
Morale is at an all-time low at JPL, and employees are protesting weekly
in front of the entrance gates. A legal challenge is planned, but most
people are too scared for their jobs to be part of it. They have
created a web site and discussion forum about it at
http://hspd12jpl.org/
