Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the Committee Report to H.R. 2555, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2004, to ensure that the Department of Homeland Security fulfills its non-homeland security missions.

I am pleased that the Committee Report includes many of the same reporting requirements on non-homeland security missions as S. 910, the Non-Homeland Security Mission Performance Act of 2003, which I introduced on April 11, 2003. My bill, which is cosponsored by Senators Carper, Lautenberg, and Durbin, will guarantee the fulfillment of non-homeland security functions that Americans rely on daily. S. 910 was reported out of the Governmental Affairs Committee unanimously on June 13, 2003.

In my view, the reporting requirements in the Committee Report to H.R. 2555 and those in S. 910 achieve similar goals. However, I believe the reporting requirements in H.R. 2555 could be improved by including the reporting requirements in S. 910.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should indicate the management flexibilities and personnel used to carry out non-homeland security functions; clarify whether any changes are required to the Department's roles, responsibilities, and organizational structure to enable it to fully accomplish its non homeland security functions; and describe the management strategy the Department will use to fulfill its non-homeland security missions.

Moreover, the report should complement, not duplicate, existing reporting requirements the U.S. Coast Guard already provides the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General. The Department should fully describe and evaluate how homeland security and non-homeland security functions will be fulfilled in government-wide performance reports to Congress, and the General Accounting Office should evaluate the extent to which the Department is implementing the provisions in this bill and its non-homeland security missions generally. This report should be provided annually over a five year period, and submitted to the Appropriations Committees, Governmental Affairs Committee, and the Government Reform Committee.

Mr. President, the cost of creating a Department of Homeland Security should not come at the expense of essential non-homeland security missions. I urge that these provisions be included to complement those in the Committee Report to H.R. 2555