What the COVID-19 crisis is ultimately doing to the cybersecurity industry is shining a spotlight on the cybersecurity talent shortage. What is one of the only benefits of the critical issue, it's that it has allowed many in Northern Virginia to elevate and extend a slew of innovative measures that companies and region are implementing to combat the problem. As they set out to solve the industry talent shortage, Northern Virginia found the following strategies to be impactful steps in tandem toward a solution.

U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) introduced the Secure Traveler Act, legislation that would expand enrollment in TSA PreCheck for individuals who have passed extensive background checks.

U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.), introduced the Secure Traveler Act, legislation that would expand enrollment in TSA PreCheck for individuals who have passed extensive background checks, like federal employees holding an active security clearance and law enforcement officers. 

President Trump signed a bill aimed at reducing the backlog of security clearance investigations.

The House of Representative voted by unanimous consent to approve the final version of H.R. 3210.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) reports that that security clearance eligibility fell by 4 percent in 2016.

The federal government is facing a vast backlog of people seeking security clearances, as more than 700,000 applicants are waiting on background checks. 

Charles Phalen will head the Office of Personnel Management's National Background Investigations Bureau. 

The government will start scanning Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media accounts of federal employees and contractors applying and re-applying for security clearances.

The number of new security clearances provided by the federal government, including renewals, has decreased by 9 percent since 2011, according to a new report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The number of approved clearances dropped for the second consecutive year in FY2013, to just more than 777,000.