Security
Senate Rejects GOP Changes To Anti-Terrorism Bill
     The Senate this week passed a major homeland security bill after defeating two Republican-backed amendments. The bill, passed by a vote of 60-38, aims to implement unfulfilled recommendations of the commission that investigated the 2001 terrorist attacks. Democrats and a handful of Republicans voted to table two amendments from Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. The first amendment, which was tabled by a 60-38 vote, would have caused every provision in the bill to expire in five years. Coburn argued that the so-called sunset provision was necessary in order to ensure congressional review of security policy. The second amendment would have prohibited grants to state and local governments until the Homeland Security Department certified the fiscal integrity of how grants were being managed and spent. Critics said it would have penalized emergency responders and state agencies for the department's faults.

Television
Agency Proposes More Coupons For Digital Transition
     A federal coupon program that will help consumers buy equipment needed to keep television sets functioning after the nation shifts to digital signals will be broader than originally planned. Under new guidelines, consumers who subscribe to cable or satellite television can participate. Those households were originally excluded because they can receive digital broadcast signals via subscription services. But Democratic lawmakers, broadcasters, equipment manufacturers and watchdog groups complained that many analog sets in such homes are not connected to pay television and would go dark when the switch-over occurs Feb. 17, 2009. The new plan would let pay-TV customers apply for up to two $40 coupons per household to purchase converter boxes that allow over-the-air digital signals to be viewed on older analog sets. All households would be eligible for subsidies under the first phase of 22 million vouchers.

Telecom
FCC's Martin Grilled By House Lawmakers
     The gloves came off as House Democrats who had waited years to conduct FCC oversight leveled accusations at FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. The hearing before the Energy and Commerce Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee, headed by Massachusetts Democrat Edward Markey, marks the second time this year that the agency's regulators have testified before Congress. Markey made it clear that the commissioners would be back. "We intend to have them appear as frequent guests this year," he said. Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., hinted that the panel might schedule an oversight hearing "every month to keep the business of the commission on track." The hearing addressed a litany of issues, including allegations that the National Security Agency obtained telephone records without warrants for surveillance purposes. Markey urged the FCC to investigate the matter, but Martin said he is seeking guidance from the Justice Department.

Competitiveness
Senate Bills Take Different Tacks On Competition
     The desire to ensure that America can compete in the global economy has sparked a legislative competition of sorts in the Senate. Two competitiveness bills were introduced last week -- and both have "compete" as part of the title. Majority Leader Harry Reid introduced the America Competes Act, S. 761, with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. They held a big news conference. The bill already has 40 co-sponsors, including key committee chairmen and ranking minority members. It seeks to improve mathematics and science education, and to boost basic research at key federal agencies. Minnesota Republican Norm Coleman, meanwhile, authored the Compete Act, S. 833. It would make the research and development tax credit permanent, give businesses a 50 percent tax break on employee technology training, and award $500,000 grants to the five primary and secondary schools that most improve their math and science test scores.

Competitiveness
Businesses Want 2007 To Be The Year Of Innovation
     Business leaders gave members of the House Science and Technology Committee the "American innovation proclamation," which asks for competitiveness legislation this year. Intel Chairman Craig Barrett, Texas Instruments CEO Richard Templeton and IBM Executive Vice President Nicholas Donofrio were among those asking for increased investment in basic research and mathematics and science education, reformed visa policies for high-skilled workers, and a permanent research and development tax credit. Committee Chairman Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., praised the National Academies of Science report "Rising Above The Gathering Storm" for pulling together existing information into a roadmap for Congress to develop legislation. The report's author, former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine, testified at a hearing following the news conference that "basic research investment in physical science has been stagnant in this country in real dollars over the past 20 years."

Privacy
House Lawmakers Take Aim At Spyware Again
     House lawmakers resumed their perennial crackdown on secretly installed computer spyware at an Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on a familiar bill. The measure, H.R. 964, would ban Internet companies from deceptively installing programs on computers and would require firms to provide notice and get consent from users before downloading software. The legislation also would mandate easy removal of such programs and increase penalties. The House has passed similar legislation twice before, but the Senate has never acted. Illinois Democrat Bobby Rush said he hopes the Senate "can get its act together this time around." The bill could strengthen anti-spyware efforts, but broad consumer privacy legislation is still needed, said Ari Schwartz of the Center for Democracy and Technology. The Direct Marketing Association's Jerry Cerasale said he is concerned that the bill's broad definition of "software" could impinge on technologies that help ensure "seamless use of the Internet."

Executive Branch
Senators Seek Federal Transparency, 'Reporter's Shield'
     In marking Sunshine Week, an appeal for more government transparency, Senate Judiciary Committee leaders cited recent controversies exposed because of federal open-government laws but said improvements to the statutes could have made a bigger difference. Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said the scandal unfolding over the Justice Department's firing of federal prosecutors, as well as the uproar stemming from last week's inspector general report on secret subpoenas in anti-terrorism probes, resulted from transparency efforts. Nevertheless, he characterized the Bush administration as having "lax FOIA enforcement" and "a near obsession with government secrecy." As a result, the 40-year-old Freedom of Information Act is "facing challenges like it never has before," Leahy said. In addition to FOIA changes, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the committee's ranking Republican, called for a federal "reporter's shield" law so journalists could protect their anonymous sources.

E-Government
The E-Voting Question: To Open Or Not To Open?
     E-voting experts and activists traded fire over whether e-voting vendors should make their systems more accessible for review. They debated the issue at a hearing before the House Administration Election Reform Subcommittee. A pending bill, H.R. 811, would require election officials to adopt systems that can be audited against voter-verified paper receipts. It also would require e-voting vendors to make the source code of their systems available for inspection. In written testimony, Kennesaw State University professor Brit Williams said it is a thorny issue because it has not been demonstrated that patent laws cover voting-machine code. Williams recommended penalties for people who violate the confidentiality of source code. Matthew Zimmerman of the Electronic Frontier Foundation said experts should be able to independently review the code before machines are widely implemented. He said transparency is imperative.