Congress / Budget
Capitol Hill: Congress Committee urges power grid security check
December 10th, 2007
A bipartisan group of members of the House Committee on Homeland Security called on Federal Energy Regulatory Chairman Joseph Kelliher to investigate ways to improve safeguards of the nation’s power grid, following revelations of Aurora, a war game in which terrorists attacked a power plant, found major gaps in power plant and transmission line security. The exact details of the test, which was conducted in March 2007 by the Idaho National Laboratory, remain classified.
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Capitol Hill: Congress to DHS: Explain delay in fire emergency aid
December 3rd, 2007
In an angry letter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) demanded answers about why Canadian firefighters and ambulances were recently delayed in response to emergency situations. The border delays occurred despite longstanding mutual aid agreements between fire departments and hospitals on both sides of the border. Thompson and other top Democratic committee members, including Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), asked Chertoff to clarify the status of protocols governing treatment of emergency response vehicles and personnel in border communities.
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Congressional panel OKs anti alien smuggling bill
December 1st, 2007
A key House panel has approved legislation that would prohibit the use of ships to smuggle illegal immigrants.
The measure (H.R. 2830) would make smuggling illegal immigrants by ship a federal felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison or $100,000 in fines.
Capitol Hill: Congress streamlines citizenship fingerprint process
November 26th, 2007
The House passed a bill (H.R. 2884) earlier this month that would direct DHS to use fingerprints provided by non-citizens in the U.S. armed forces at the time of their enlistment to satisfy any requirements for fingerprints as part of a U.S. naturalization process. The legislation was named after Kendell Frederick, a 21-year-old soldier who was killed by a roadside bomb, while his citizenship application had been held up for lack of fingerprints. "Tragically the very reason that he was in that convoy that day was to get fingerprinted in order to achieve his dream of citizenship," said Rep. Steve King (R-IA), on the House floor.
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Capitol Hill: Congress presses FBI to create arson registry
November 16th, 2007
The House Judiciary Committee has approved legislation calling on the FBI to establish a national registry of convicted arsonists. The database would only be accessible to federal state and local law enforcement officials. Under the bill, convicted arsonists would be required to register with local law enforcement, providing their names, Social Security numbers and contact information. Names would remain on the list for five years after prison for a first offense, 10 years for second offense and for life if that person commits arson a third time.
No-fly list, emergency housing and more...
Capitol Hill: Cyber security committee formed to advise next president
November 12th, 2007
Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX) announced the formation of a blue-ribbon commission of experts to study ways American Government and business can better protect themselves from computer attacks. The panel was formed in the wake of results of a Department of Homeland Security simulated data breach exercise. The panel will hand its recommendations to the next president when he or she takes office in January, 2009.
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Capitol Hill: Lieberman, Collins concerned `Terror Watchlist’ falls short
November 5th, 2007
Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and ranking Republican committee member Susan Collins (R-ME) voiced concerns that the government’s terrorist watchlist is still plagued with vulnerabilities. The remarks came during hearings at which the senators released a Government Accountability Office report showing that the Department of Homeland Security has failed to develop a strategy and implementation plan to correct problems with the Transportation Security Administration’s "No Fly" list. The senators urged greater list accuracy to improve screening procedures at airports and other ports of entry while giving citizens who have been incorrectly placed on that list the ability to seek redress.
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Rail security brings up the rear in Amtrak authorization legislation
October 29th, 2007
The reauthorization of Amtrak may be the locomotive for legislation chugging through the Senate this week, while a section of the same bill devoted specifically to rail security seems to be the caboose.
