Two bipartisan bills have been introduced in the U.S. Senate to reform and modernize the nation’s system for classifying and declassifying documents. Kansas Senator Jerry Moran is a co-sponsor of the bills, along with Virginia Senator Mark Warner, Ron Wyden of Oregon and John Cornyn of Texas.
The senators have introduced the Classification Reform Act of 2023 and the Sensible Classification Act of 2023. The bills will make changes in the security classification system in order to reduce over-classification, prevent mishandling of classified information, and promote better use of intelligence.
Moran says the nation is over-classifying way too much information, and the system is long overdue for an overhaul. He said, “When it comes to declassifying documents, our current declassification process costs $18 billion a year and is about as effective as using an eye dropper to drain a flood. These deficiencies undermine our national security, and a backlog of unnecessary classified material is harming our ability to protect what should be secret from our enemies.”
Senator Wyden said, “Public access to government information is vital to a democratic society. Yet, as has been the case for many years, far too many records are classified. And, because of obsolete technology, far too few of those records ever see the light of day, even after they no longer meet the requirements for classification. One necessary step in addressing this crisis is to put someone in charge of modernizing the system so that records are tracked and then declassified and released when appropriate.”
