2007-06-06 20:23:52 -

LOS ANGELES (AP) - In April, a veteran engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory sent a 1,300-word letter to his U.S. congressman complaining of «unwarranted intrusion» into his life.
Dennis V. Byrnes was disturbed by a new government requirement that workers at JPL and other NASA centers undergo background checks to get access to buildings

and computers.
Byrnes is among some three dozen JPL workers who contacted Capitol Hill in recent months protesting the new security checks. Congress is taking notice, with several lawmakers complaining that the checks could violate people's privacy and drive away talented employees.
Three years after the 2001 terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush signed an executive order requiring government agencies to increase security through a new badge system for millions of civil servants and contractors. The program includes the issuing of «smart cards,» ID badges with a photograph and fingerprints digitally embedded.
Federal workers and contractors must fill out a form online about their employment history, past residences and any illegal drug use. Those in more sensitive positions are asked to disclose financial records, list foreign trips and give the government permission to view their medical history. In both cases, workers must sign a waiver giving investigators access to virtually all personal information. Once the forms are processed, they submit their fingerprints to the FBI.
Employees from a cross-section of government _ including the Education Department and the Bureau of Land Management _ have protested. Several reported losing or leaving their jobs after refusing to undergo the background checks, though the exact number is not clear.
Several JPL workers expressed their frustration to NASA Administrator Michael Griffin on Monday during an hour-long meeting at the lab that was closed to the public and media.
Griffin apologized to those who found the new system intrusive but said that it was a «privilege to work within the federal system, not a right» and that he would carry out the order unless it was overturned in court, according to a video of the meeting obtained by The Associated Press.
Unlike other NASA centers, JPL, best known for its robotic explorations to Mars and other parts of the solar system, is run by the California Institute of Technology. JPL scientists, engineers and staff are Caltech employees.
But the campus and its buildings belong to NASA. To enter the grounds, workers flash their ID badges at two checkpoints, and guards randomly search cars.
About 11,000 people with access to JPL will have to get the new smart cards by the end of October. A spokeswoman would not say how many have received them.
Although the government says that providing the information is voluntary, JPL says on its Web site «there are not any other options to secure your employment with JPL» for those who refuse.
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget, which is overseeing the new requirement, said all federal agencies are obeying the directive. The agency has held public forums to ease concerns about privacy, said Karen Evans, an OMB administrator.
«We're working to make sure we have that public trust,» she said.
Kent McCullough, who studies the atmosphere and has been a NASA contractor for two decades, reluctantly filled out the online application. «I'm too young to retire,» he explained.
On the Net
JPL site on the presidential directive: hspd12.jpl.nasa.gov
NASA: www.nasa.gov