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June 13, 2002
HARMAN’S INTELLIGENCE SHARING LEGISLATION
APPROVED BY COMMITTEE, READY FOR FULL HOUSE
- “These problems must be solved whether or not we establish
a new Department of Homeland Security.” -
WASHINGTON D.C. - The
Homeland Security Information Sharing Act (H.R. 4598) was passed today
by the House Judiciary Committee and reported to the full House. The act,
introduced in February by US Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA), Ranking
Democrat on the House Intelligence Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland
Security, and Subcommittee Chairman Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), directs federal
intelligence agencies such as the FBI and CIA to share information about
possible terrorist attacks with governors, mayors, law enforcement and
first responders.
After the markup Harman stated, “This bill helps solve two critical
problems: information sharing between the FBI and CIA, and sharing between
the federal government and local first responders like mayors, police
and firefighters. These problems must be solved whether or not we establish
a new Department of Homeland Security.”
The Act calls for:
· The development of procedures by which federal agencies will
share information with state and local personnel (and vice versa) within
six months;
· The use of existing technology (used in sharing information
with NATO allies and INTERPOL) that converts classified intelligence into
a format that can be easily shared through declassification or “stripping”
of sources and methods in a timely manner; and
· An increase in the number of security clearance investigations
at the state and local level in order to facilitate the sharing of classified
information.
The Act has the strong support of California Governor Gray Davis, The
International Union of Police Associations, the National League of Cities,
and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, who stated, “Effective communications
between agencies is one of the most important tools law enforcement can
have.”
The bill has the overwhelming support of the House Intelligence Committee.
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