The Bush administration has issued a new executive order that could streamline the onerous and often lengthy background checks performed on federal employees and contractors who need special security clearance to access classified information.

The order, issued on June 30, requires federal agencies to establish 'consistent standards' for all individuals who require access to classified national security information or who are applying for a sensitive government position.

'The aligned system shall employ updated and consistent standards and methods, enable innovations with enterprise information technology capabilities and end-to-end automation to the extent practicable, and ensure that relevant information maintained by agencies can be ...