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Homeland Security Gets Early Attention
by Greta Wodele
House lawmakers are first out of the gate this year to approve policy changes and spending priorities for the Homeland Security Department next year.
The authorizers on the Homeland Security Committee and the members of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee will need to iron out several differences between their two bills, but both panels focused this year on bolstering a myriad of technological programs.
The House approved the department's spending measure and reauthorization legislation late last month. The Senate has yet to take up either an appropriations bill or an authorization measure. While the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee is slated to mark up a bill this summer, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is unlikely to draft a reauthorization measure. Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, however, has said she may introduce policy changes in stand-alone legislation.
But before the two chambers begin negotiating on either bill, the House appropriators and authorizers must compromise on some provisions in their bills. A turf battle almost broke out between the two panels on the House floor last month -- authorizers threatened to strike numerous provisions in the appropriations bill that tied funding to policy changes at the department. Under House rules, appropriators are not allowed to legislate in spending bills.
To avoid the public food fight, the appropriators agreed to "follow the will" of the authorizers in negotiations with the Senate.
Focus On Technology
In the House reauthorization measure, H.R. 1817, which is not as comprehensive as Homeland Security Chairman Christopher Cox, R-Calif., said future bills will be, the department is directed to develop devices that would combat chemical and nuclear attacks and weapons of mass destruction, among other technologies.
"I'm a firm believer in technology," Cox said last week. "It's an important key in our long run against terrorism."
Cox added that the private sector must invent devices that protect the country and also bolster the flow of commerce. Calling it a "high hurdle," the chairman said companies must make a "two-fold investment."
"We're going to need the economic engine of this country to drive the war on terror," Cox said.
The appropriations bill, H.R. 2360, addresses numerous more technology programs at the department, including explosive detection machines at the nation's airports, the Coast Guard's multi-billion program to modernize its fleet and communication databases, and systems to "talk" across federal agencies and with state and local officials.
Both bills would establish a technology transfer program that would require a clearinghouse to identify, modify and transfer homeland security technology for use by the federal, state and local government agencies as well as police officers, fire fighters and the private sector.
The appropriators, who directed $10 million for the initiative, said "the public has been waiting since [the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks] for improved flow through airport screening, assurance of secure cargo containers, and standards for interoperable communications to name a few," and "patience is growing thin."
Appropriators, Authorizers Differ On Funding Issues
To combat the threat of shoulder-fired missiles against commercial passenger airplanes, both the authorization and spending bills direct funding to continue an initiative for testing countermeasures. There are significant differences, however, over the amount of funding that should be provided.
The appropriators' bill would provide $110 million, while the authorizers called for $10 million for the program. The appropriators conceded that the end-results may not be "sufficiently able to meet challenges of commercial application at a cost that is economically feasible," but required the department to finish the last phase of the testing. They also required the department to spend at least $10 million on finding emerging technologies that may work better. Appropriators may have the upper hand given that no money can be provided until it is included in an appropriations bill.
The authorizers would cut $100 million from the spending bill to pay for fully funding 2,000 more border agents.
On cyber security efforts under the department's information analysis and infrastructure protection wing, the appropriators' bill would allocate $73 million and the authorizers' measure would promote the cyber security chief to an assistant secretary position.
The appropriations bill also would provide $16.7 million for the science and technology division to research and develop advanced cyber security technologies. The authorizers called on science and technology officials to develop and quickly deploy secure versions of Internet protocols and architectures, specifically for domain name system and routing protocols. The authorization bill also calls for improving and creating technologies for detecting cyber attacks and mitigation and recovery devices.
The two committees called on the department to improve screening overseas of cargo and containers before shippers depart for U.S. seaports.
A government study found recently that the Container Security Initiative, which allows U.S. officials to inspect containers in foreign seaports, has deployed technology that has not been thoroughly tested to detect weapons of mass destruction.
The authorization bill would require the department to loan the technologies to the foreign ports without being reimbursed and provide training for personnel. Additionally, the bill would require the Homeland Security secretary to draft technical requirements and standards for the devices.
The appropriators, whose bill would allocate $139 million for the initiative, said they were concerned about the department providing equipment to the foreign ports.
"The committee is concerned that such assistance may draw resources from the program and reduce the incentive for foreign ports and governments to bear their share of the costs involved," according to the committee's report on their bill. "On the other hand, a greater role for [the department] in ... supporting the costs of the [technology] in foreign ports could enhance the type of cooperation and the effective use of such systems in screening foreign shipments."
Appropriators Big On Tech
The appropriators also supported numerous other technology programs, including initiatives for new sciences like geospatial and geographic information systems and nanotechnology.
They called on the department's chief information officer (CIO) to report to the committee by January on efforts to complete a geospatial and geographic information system to map the nation's critical infrastructure and assets around the country. The CIO's office would receive $111 million for its information technology initiatives.
On nanotechnology, the lawmakers said it is a "promising technology that could contribute significantly in the defense against terrorism." They encouraged the science and technology division to pursue research in the area that may aid in the detection of biological, chemical and radiological and explosive agents.
They also pushed the division to work with the Secret Service to research and develop standardized security features that could be embedded in paper documents such as birth certificates.
The science and technology division would receive $1.3 billion to research, develop and purchase technologies next year. Specifically, appropriators directed the division to spend $55 million on R&D for explosive countermeasures; $30 million to test screening cargo at three airports; $127 million to create a new nuclear detection office and $19 million for nuclear and radiological countermeasures.
The Appropriations Committee recommended $411 million for several programs under the automation modernization account, which aim to secure trade and travel by using advanced technologies to screen commerce and visitors entering U.S. borders. The initiatives include US-VISIT, which employs biometrics to track foreign visitors entering and exiting the country.
At the nation's seaports, the appropriators would provide $125 in funding for the department to roll out an additional 279 radiation detection portal monitors. There are currently 400 in operation at major U.S. ports.
The panel also would provide $51 million to continue the American Shield Initiative, which deploys a sophisticated network of sensors, cameras, communication and analytic technology along the nation's borders to detect and capture illegal immigrants.
And finally, to bolster passenger screening activities at the nation's airports, the appropriations bill would provide $170 million for explosive detection systems.
"The panel is aware that [the department] has recently certified and piloted next-generation EDS technology that is far smaller and less expensive" than the current devices, the bill's report said. The lawmakers directed the department to spend $40 million to purchase the advanced machines.
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