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NCISS is working diligently on behalf its members and the entire investigative and security services industries. Here are issues that are currently on our radar:

The brutal political attacks in Minnesota in June that left one state representative and her husband dead, and a state senator and her husband wounded, intensified the outcry over online access to personal information, including addresses. In the immediate aftermath, several states – North Dakota, New Mexico, and Colorado – responded by removing lawmakers’ home address from official websites and campaign finance databases.

There are growing calls in state legislatures across the country, as well as in Congress, for stronger regulations on data brokers and the people-search sites that make such information easily accessible. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) stated, “Congress requires no further evidence that individuals are being murdered due to data available for purchase by anyone possessing a credit card. The safety of every American is jeopardized until Congress takes decisive action against this unscrupulous industry.”

This concern is fueling a trend already underway that should concern all private investigators and those who legitimately need access to identifying information. Oregon, Georgia, Maryland, Illinois, New Jersey, and Louisiana have recently enacted or proposed laws to shield such information or allow people to opt-out of having their information disclosed.

Senator Wyden and others are pushing for federal legislation, such as the Delete Act, which would allow Americans to request the removal of their private information from all registered data brokers in a single step. Similar legislation has been seen at the state level, notably in California.  Some in Congress argue that current opt-out processes are inadequate and that comprehensive national privacy laws are urgently needed. The Delete Act is currently pending in the Senate.

NCISS is sympathetic to safety concerns but urges caution in how to deal with the problem.

NCISS Legislative Advisory Board (LAB) Chairman Rob Garza, in a message to state PI associations, wrote: “Our mission is to work collaboratively with legislators to protect the integrity of our profession and ensure the safety of our communities. We believe that by safeguarding the rights, resources, and tools necessary for investigations and security professionals, incidents of this nature can be proactively identified, reduced, and curtailed in this ever-changing climate of political violence and privacy degradation. We are eager to contribute our expertise to help find, cultivate, and enact effective solutions”

NCISS urges all private investigators — whether members or not — to exercise responsibility in handling the personal information entrusted to them. Safeguard the security of any data you obtain. Know your clients and be prepared to decline requests for location or other sensitive information if there is any potential risk to the safety of others.

The good news is that the U.S. Department of Labor has backed away from a proposed rule change that would affect how we hire and get hired as independent contractors.

Our industry has always relied on the lawful and ethical use of independent contractors, especially in contract security and investigative roles that require flexibility, responsiveness, and autonomy. The rigid structure of the 2024 rule made it harder for many NCISS-aligned firms to classify workers appropriately without fear of triggering federal scrutiny or liability.

While the DOL’s shift lowers the immediate enforcement risk, it is not a total reprieve. The National Labor Relations Board continues to apply its own broader standard, and state laws governing worker classification remain active and often more aggressive. That means firms should still exercise caution and stay current with overlapping regulatory frameworks.

For NCISS, this development strengthens our position in advocating for a consistent national approach to contractor classification—one that protects workers while respecting the operational realities of professional investigative and security services.

NCISS is monitoring several bills and proposed bills that would affect the use and operations of drones. This is an issue that is also being debated in state legislatures all over the country.

Many NCISS investigative members provide indigent criminal defense services under the Criminal Justice Act (CJA). However, budget cuts to the courts have led to delayed payments for those services. NCISS is communicating with the federal courts about the hardships that creates for investigators, most of whom are small businesses.

Budget cuts and staff reductions in the so-called Big Beautiful Bill signed by President Trump includes a substantial reduction in funding for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), with nearly half a billion dollars cut from its overall allocation.

Of particular concern to NCISS are the reductions in outreach and engagement efforts. The budget calls for shrinking CISA’s external engagement team from roughly 200 to just over 50, while slashing outreach funding from $100 million to $37 million. These changes would all but eliminate key programs that keep private sector partners informed and equipped to respond to evolving threats.

The new budget also eliminates the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC). This council has served as a cornerstone of public-private collaboration, giving security and infrastructure partners a seat at the table when national policies are developed. Without it, smaller firms—like many represented by NCISS—could find themselves shut out of critical policy discussions.


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