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November 13, 2002 HARMAN JOINS AS ORIGINAL CO-SPONSOR OF REVISED HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT LEGISLATION-- House passage of bill is predicted today -- Washington, DC - Today, Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-Redondo Beach) joined as an original co-sponsor of the revised legislation to create a Homeland Security Department, and spoke on the House floor in favor of the bill. A vote is expected later today and passage is predicted. The Senate is expected to debate and pass identical legislation later this week or next week. Similar to the bill passed by the House earlier this year, the legislation consolidates 22 federal agencies into one new Department responsible for intelligence analysis and dissemination, science and technology, border and transportation security, and emergency preparedness and response. The legislation also strikes a compromise on a White House and Senate dispute over civil service protections that has stalled the bill since August. It provides the President broad authority over the Department's workforce and in the event of a labor dispute, requires a mediation process in which labor unions would play a significant role. The bill also includes a measure introduced by Representatives Harman and Rob Portman (R-OH) creating a White House Homeland Security Council to coordinate programs of federal departments remaining outside the new Department - including the FBI, CIA and Department of Defense. It also includes H.R. 4598 cosponsored by Representatives Harman and Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), which previously passed the House by a vote of 422-2. The bill required procedures for sharing information among intelligence agencies and with state and local governments and first responders. Statement of the Hon. Jane Harman Mr. Speaker: This legislation means more than moving boxes on an organization chart. For the first time, it provides real authority to those we count on to protect our country and our constituents. The Department of Homeland Security, with the Homeland Security Council in the White House, will create and implement a comprehensive homeland security strategy. A unified approach will replace the ad hoc efforts going on now across agency and state lines. The nation and this Congress are strong in their support for a Homeland Security Department and a coordinated strategy, and I regret that this legislation wasn't completed months ago. This legislation isn't perfect, but neither was the National Security Act that created the Department of Defense in 1947. Our national security organization has evolved and improved over time. So will our homeland security organization. The compromises in this bill aren't perfect, either. But they are reasonable, and they do make tremendous strides in protecting the security of every neighborhood in America. This legislation does more than reorganize. It includes the information sharing procedures I sponsored with Congressman Chambliss, which passed this House as H.R. 4598 by a vote of 422-2. It also recognizes that the cutting edge of security technologies resides in the private sector, and includes a point of entry for companies to interact with the federal government for procurement. The legislation does not include an independent commission to investigate 9/11, but I hope this Congress will soon pass the intelligence authorization conference report for FY03, which includes such a commission. I urge my colleagues to support this homeland security legislation. You
may disagree with certain provisions, or with the process that has brought
it to the floor. But this bill, in the net, is the right thing for the
American people, and can prove to be this Congress' lasting legacy. Home | Lobby | Congresswoman Harman's Office | Press | Issues | Casework | District Office | Library | Webmaster | Privacy Policy | Contact
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