Congress / Budget
DHS renews Social Security "No Match" bid, puts employers on the spot
April 1st, 2008
The U.S. Coast Guard’s National Maritime Center has moved into its new permanent location in Martinsburg, WV, as part of a planned effort to restructure and centralize the Mariner Licensing and Documentation (MLD) Program. The Center will handle operations and oversight for issues related to Regional Examination Center operations and quality assurance. It will also handle mariner training, assessment and exams; program support; mariner information for issues related to credential applications; and mariner evaluation for issues related to professional, medical and security evaluations.
The Department of Homeland Security has improved the methodology under which it allocates risk-based grants, according to a recent study by the Government Accountability Office. The GAO found that the DHS method of measuring risk (in which risk is the product of threat times vulnerability and consequences -- R=T(V&C) ) allowed for a pragmatic blend of empirical data and policy judgment. However, GAO investigators noted that while DHS has taken some steps to establish goals and measure progress, "its monitoring of homeland security grant expenditures does not provide a means to measure the achievement of desired program outcomes."
Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) introduced legislation, co-sponsored by Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Ted Stevens (R-AK), designed to make it tougher for groups or individuals to engage in Internet identity theft through phishing techniques (fraudulently gaining personal information on individuals), and combating the use of deceptive Web site domain names. The proposed legislation, known as the Anti Phishing Consumer Protection Act, would also mandate that owners of commercial Web sites provide true and accurate contact information, so that, in instances of ID theft and fraud, Web site owners can be brought to legal account.
The U.S. State Department has made some progress in reinforcing security at some embassies throughout the world since the terrorist attacks at its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, but the Government Accountability Office has concluded that a great deal remains to be accomplished.
The Department of Homeland Security’s controversial proposed No-Match program that would force employers to fire workers if their names don’t match their Social Security numbers is being re-worked by the department, which hopes new rules will enable the program to become law. The original attempt was blocked by a federal judge in San Francisco last October. Las week, the department issued a 44-page "supplemental" document designed to address several of the concerns Judge Charles Breyer raised in his ruling. Under the DHS proposals, employers who fail to resolve SSN and W-2 discrepancies could face criminal or civil charges.
Coast Guard opens new National Maritime Center
March 24th, 2008
TSA, DHS and more...
GAO sees improved DHS grant allocation methodology
March 18th, 2008
Capitol Hill: FISA debate rages in Congress
March 18th, 2008
Neither party is satisfied with the passage in the House of Representatives of a Democratic-sponsored bill to reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Under a version passed by the Senate, major telecoms would have won a large degree of "retroactive immunity" from prosecution for cooperating with earlier Bush Administration domestic surveillance programs. The House revisions would allow lawsuits against phone companies, but with conditions. The bill passed, along party lines (213-197), after a rare late night secret session forced by Republicans. Although President Bush is pledged to veto this legislation, Democrats hope its passage will force the Administration to provide Congress with full details of its wiretapping program.
Biz Opps: SPAWAR seeks perimeter intrusion detection sensors
March 12th, 2008
The U.S. Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center seeks information on commercial-off-the-shelf wireless perimeter intrusion detection sensors (PIDS) that can be used by security forces to assist in the protection of critical assets and personnel. Respondents are asked to describe how the PIDS would be suitable for operating in a secure wireless network. The target audience for the SPAWAR information request is the Department of Defense and the nuclear physical security community. For technical questions about this request, contact Michael Masters at 843-218-5322. For all non-technical questions, contact .
Capitol Hill: Sen. Snow introducess anti-phishing bill; targets ID theft
March 3rd, 2008
Capitol Hill: ACLU urges Congress set limits on military disaster relief
February 26th, 2008
The American Civil Liberties Union urged Congress to set clear boundaries on military involvement in disaster relief efforts and national emergencies. In testimony before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, the ACLU argued that such involvement, now being considered by the Senate, would violate the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which specifically prohibits the U.S. military from acting in a law enforcement capacity on U.S. soil. "We must set clear boundaries," said Tim Sparpani, ACLU senior legislative counsel. The rights organization noted that recent inclusion of military units, such as the National Guard, resulted in numerous charges of abuse and civil liberties violations.
Embassies worldwide still need reinforcement
February 25th, 2008
