Three Homeland Security Bills Pass House
February 3rd, 2009 by KarinaToday, the House passed three homeland security bills which were passed in the 110th Congress but not acted upon in the Senate.
The Reducing Over-Classification Act, H.R. 553, enhances accountability by requiring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop a strategy to prevent over-classification of security information and improve the access of state and local law enforcement, as well as the public, to DHS documents. The House passed an identical bill on July 30, 2008.
Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA):
Rep. Harman: “Though hard to believe, sheriffs and police chiefs cannot readily access the information they need to prevent or disrupt a potential terrorist attack because those at the federal level resist sharing information. Over-classification and pseudo classification (which is stamping with any number of sensitive but unclassified markings) remain rampant. Protecting sources and methods is the only valid reason to refuse to share information. It is no exaggeration that people die in our ability to monitor certain targets can be compromised if sources and methods are revealed. As one who served on our Intelligence Committee for eight years, I saw this up close and personal. But, Madam Speaker, classifying information to protect turf or avoid embarrassment is wrong. As I mentioned, I served for all those years on the Intelligence Committee and became incredibly frustrated with this practice, which the Bush Administration elevated to an art form. And sadly, the practice has spread to our newest federal agency, the Department of Homeland Security. Madam Speaker, the next attack in the United States will not be stopped because a bureaucrat in Washington, DC found out about it in advance. It will be the cop on the beat who is familiar with the rhythms and nuances of his and her own neighborhood who will foil that attack.”
The Fair, Accurate, Secure, and Timely (FAST) Redress Act, H.R. 559, provides more expedited redress for those misidentified on terrorist watch lists and by ensuring a Comprehensive Cleared List is shared with federal, state and local officials. The House passed an identical bill on June 18, 2008.
Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY):
Rep. Clarke: “Nearly everyone in the homeland security community agrees that having a single comprehensive list of terrorist suspects is an important tool in keeping America safe. However, there are flaws in how the terrorist watch list is maintained and used. Over the years this list has grown to have over 1.1 million entries. With so many different names on the list, it is not surprising that every single day countless Americans are misidentified as terrorists. The errors most commonly occur when an innocent person’s name happens to be similar to the one listed in the database. For example, if your name is Al Smith and there is an A. Smith on the list, guess what - you’re going to be caught. This is even worse for the millions of American residents who have names which can have different pronunciations or ways of spelling. This wastes time both for law enforcement, because they’re using resources investigating innocent people, and for the general public who face the prospect of being wrongly detained and possibly altogether prevented from going about their business.”
The National Bombing Prevention Act, H.R. 549, strengthens efforts to prevent and protect against terrorist explosive attacks by such provisions as formally authorizing the Office for Bombing Prevention (which has never been formally authorized by law) and requiring the development of a national strategy on terrorist explosive attacks. The House passed an identical bill on June 18, 2008.