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Virginia Lends An Anti-Terrorism Hand
by Liza Porteus
Virginia Gov. James Gilmore, R, is helping the Bush administration in its effort to combat cyber terrorism.
Gilmore, chairman of the congressionally created Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction, pledged last week to help Vice President Richard Cheney develop recommendations on how to better prevent terrorism, including potential cyber attacks and threats to the nation's critical infrastructure. President Bush announced last Tuesday that Cheney would lead a task force to develop the recommendations, due to him by October.
"After eight years of inaction on the part of the executive branch, President Bush is to be commended for taking a leadership role in addressing this complex national public policy issue quickly and thoroughly," Gilmore said in a phone conversation with Cheney that day. "For two years, my panel has labored with many of the same questions, and we stand ready to provide our assistance and expertise so the administration can focus on the larger strategic terrorism issues, including implementing needed changes."
Gilmore's panel has delivered two full reports to the president and Congress, and is due to complete its third and final year of work by Dec. 15. Key to the panel's recommendations is the need for a national anti-terrorism strategy and better coordination among the executive branch and Congress on an issue that cuts across "virtually every area and function of the federal government, and requires the active engagement of states and communities."
The December 2000 report cited incidents such as Y2K-related threats to critical infrastructure and denial-of-service attacks against portals like Yahoo and Amazon.com. Gilmore's commission based its findings on a May 1998 presidential directive that established federal agency deadlines for fulfilling certain critical-infrastructure protection responsibilities, and on the "national plan" for defending America's cyberspace released in January 2000. The commission noted, "Much more needs to be done to establish effective partnerships with the private sector, and to improve planning and coordination with state and local government entities."
The Gilmore commission, which last met at the end of March, will assist in "whatever the vice president needs consulting on," a Gilmore source said. The source said that between now and Dec. 15, the commission most likely will add to the cyber-security section of the report and highlight specific policy recommendations for the administration to follow.
But the Bush administration's approach to computer security will focus on realigning federal agencies' responsibilities for their own computer networks before revising the national plan that details how the government and the private sector should partner in the effort, administration officials said Tuesday. Kenneth Juster, who was sworn in Monday as the new head of the Bureau of Export Administration, expanded on a White House statement on cyber security last week and said agency review would be completed over the next several weeks.
Leading By Example
Virginia Secretary of Technology Donald Upson echoed Gilmore's commitment to cyber-security efforts at an Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) event on Monday. He said Gilmore's leadership on the issue has propelled Virginia to the top ranks of high-tech states.
He added that he and Gilmore are "delighted " with the Bush administration's approach to critical infrastructure protection. The White House statement issued last week said the administration is working with federal agencies and private industry to prepare a new version of the national plan to be completed later this year.
The Commerce Department's Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office (CIAO) is coordinating the efforts of several federal departments and agencies contributing to the plan's preparation. Meetings have been held with representatives of several sectors, including banking and finance, electric power, rail transportation, oil and gas, state and local law enforcement, the information technology industry and telecommunications.
"It's good to see we're doing something and not just sitting around talking about atmospheric topics," Upson said, adding that he also expects the final Gilmore commission report to highlight the need for state and local governments to work with the private sector.
In a recent letter written on behalf of the National Governors' Association to key House lawmakers, South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges, D, and Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, R, emphasized the importance of a strong federal-state partnership in confronting challenges for states in managing the consequences of terrorism. The governors also called for greater clarification of the currently fragmented structure of federal responsibilities and increased cooperation among federal agencies. The governors urged appropriate funding and maximum coordination of service delivery within states and localities.
"Governors clearly have the most direct stake and responsibility to respond to domestic terrorism," the letter stated.
Davis Retracts Voting Reform From Budget
This week, California Gov. Gray Davis, D, unveiled his revised budget based on the state's actual income for the year, according to the California Voter Foundation. As many people anticipated, the governor eliminated his funding request for most of the new initiatives he had proposed in January, including the $40 million he wanted to upgrade California's voting equipment. The state's energy crisis and slowing economy, and the steep drop in stock values are seen as the cause for California's reduced income and budget revisions.
Arkansas Overhauls Information Systems
Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, R, this week touted his state's transition to a statewide information system as the key to increasing government efficiency and a better use of tax dollars. He said Arkansas was one of the first states to implement such a system.
More than 3,000 state employees registered for Arkansas Administrative Statewide Information System (AASIS) training sessions around the state. Last month, Arkansas successfully ran the first test of AASIS, using it for the state payroll, and officials now are searching for bugs in the system.
The plan is to standardize and streamline financial and administrative functions of state government, where reports and records will be available on demand. "It's yet another way we're making it easier to deal with your state government," Huckabee said.
Those Wireless Blues, I'm Bidding Today
The New York Office for Technology has decided to seek competitive bids on a $3 million project to construct a statewide wireless communications system, reports the Times Union in Albany. But some state Assembly lawmakers are wondering just how competitive those bids will be.
The action comes following an April 16 rejection by the comptroller's office of a plan to offer a no-bid contract to Motorola under terms of a "strategic partnership." The comptroller disagreed with the technology office's contention that the partnership was a logical extension of Motorola's existing $2.5 million contract to sell proprietary radios.
Assembly Government Operations Committee Chairwoman RoAnn Destito, D, and leaders of the Oversight Committee called tech office representatives to a private meeting to discuss plans for the wireless system. She said state officials want the technology Motorola offers because it would allow the state to get free bandwidth from the federal government for frequencies to transmit public-safety radio communications.
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