Security
Department Unveils National Response Plan For Terrorism
     The Homeland Security Department this week unveiled a national response plan for federal, state and local officials to use as a playbook when responding to a terrorist attack. Government officials and experts have been collaborating on the plan for two years. The 400-page strategy sets training and communications standards for firefighters, police officers and other "first responders" at all levels of government, and for the private sector. It also establishes protocols when responding to specific incidents, such as radiological, biological or cyber attacks, as well as man-made and natural disasters.

Security
Nominee Gonzales Lauds Anti-Terrorism Law
     Foreshadowing the tone of a debate likely to follow in Congress this year as lawmakers re-examine expiring provisions of a landmark anti-terrorism law, attorney general nominee Alberto Gonzales said the USA PATRIOT Act has been key to the success of the Bush administration's war on terrorism. "I believe that in part because of the PATRIOT Act, there has not been a domestic attack on domestic soil since [Sept. 11, 2001]," Gonzales, currently the White House counsel, said in a Senate Judiciary confirmation hearing. The PATRIOT Act's changes to the rules governing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act search-and-seizure warrants are among the provisions up for review in Congress before they expire at the end of this year, and those provisions have sparked criticism from civil libertarians.

Education
Senate Panel Confirms Education Nominee
     A Senate committee unanimously voted to confirm Education secretary nominee Margaret Spellings, but senators at her confirmation hearing earlier in the day expressed concerns about the president's commitment to addressing funding shortfalls for schools, higher education grants and adult learning programs. Spellings has been a player in public education for the past two decades as a self-described "policy wonk and as a legislative advocate." She served as domestic adviser to President Bush, she has been a confidant to him since his days as the governor of Texas, and she played an integral part in President Bush's education plan. Also this week, the Senate Commerce Committee approved Carlos Gutierrez to be the new Commerce Department secretary.

Cyber Security
House Homeland Security Panel Expected To Win Turf Battle
     The newly permanent House Homeland Security Committee is likely to win the first turf battle over cyber-security issues in the 109th Congress after Texas Republican Mac Thornberry and California Democrat Zoe Lofgren re-introduced in the 109th Congress a bill on the issue from last year. House aides on the Homeland Security Committee believe they will get a referral for the legislation from the House parliamentarian's office and House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Last year, the Homeland Security and Science committees snagged referrals. The legislation comes on the heels of new House rules that created a permanent Homeland Security Committee with redefined jurisdiction. In that Rules Committee package, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton, R-Texas, attached language to retain his panel jurisdiction over cyber-security issues.

On The Hill
Lawmakers Select Chairmen, Appoint Key Committee Aides
     The Senate Republican Conference elected Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, to serve as the next chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Stevens has been a member of the committee since 1971. Susan Collins, R-Maine, also was re-elected as chairwoman of the renamed Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Her goals for the 109th Congress include improving the Homeland Security Department and modernizing the U.S. Postal Service. In the House, meanwhile, Republican leaders selected Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., to be the next chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

On The Hill
Sen. Feinstein Introduces Bills On Identity Theft
     California Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced a package of bills intended to protect consumers from identity theft. The Democrat's package includes a bill that would prohibit the sale or display of Social Security numbers, remove them from government checks and driver's licenses, require the identifying numbers to be removed from public records published online, and define Social Security numbers as personal data. Her bills also would require business and government entities to notify people if computer hackers obtain unencrypted personal information. In the House, Reps. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., and Rick Boucher, D-Va., introduced legislation that would limit regulation of Internet telephony and other Internet-based communications services.

Security
Publicized Intelligence Meeting For Congress Riles Department
     Officials within the Homeland Security Department were upset by a lawmaker's public announcement regarding an upcoming classified meeting to talk about grant allocations for security projects, a department official said on condition of anonymity. New Jersey Republican Christopher Smith issued a press release announcing that he has "locked in" a meeting with senior department officials to discuss intelligence and data used as the basis for issuing grants for urban areas in 2005 under a department initiative. Smith said he scheduled the meeting after learning that his state's security allocation would be less in fiscal 2005 than it was in fiscal 2004. "This will hold the intelligence community back from going up for meetings," the Homeland Security official griped. "It spooks the briefers and puts everybody in a bad position."

E-Government
State Tech Chiefs Plan Integrated Emergency Alert System
     The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) pledged to take the lead on integrating in each state an emergency alert system modeled after AMBER alerts for missing children. The broad reach and success of the AMBER alert portal sparked an interest among governors to extend that program to all-purpose emergency alerts, said Chris Dixon, NASCIO's homeland security issues coordinator. "It has been one of NASCIO's goals to foster any type of solution that brings interoperability," he said. The portal allows law enforcement to issue alerts to residents in the event of missing or abducted children. Also this week, Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., introduced legislation that would allow law enforcers to issue AMBER alerts even if they lack certain identifying information about missing children.

Trade
Europe Faults U.S. Barriers To High-Tech Trade
     European Union exporters and investors continue to face unfair barriers to entering U.S. markets, the union found in its annual report, leading it to call for a new strategy for strengthening the vital trans-Atlantic economic relationship. In the report on trade barriers in the United States, the EU cited increased "unilateralism" that runs contrary to international efforts to open trade and cooperate on dispute settlement. It cited the U.S. government's "Special 301" process for penalizing countries that it finds are not adequately protecting U.S. intellectual property rights or that are not allowing access to its markets for IP-related industries. The EU also criticized the United States for failing to honor the World Trade Organization's Information Technology Agreement, under which countries agreed to eliminate tariffs on IT products by 2000.