FY06 Homeland Security Authorization Bill Headed to House Floor

Washington, DC (Thursday, April 28, 2005)-The Committee on Homeland Security approved the annual Homeland Security authorization bill for Fiscal 2006 just before midnight on Wednesday, April 27, after 13 hours of consideration. H.R. 1817, the Homeland Security Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, was approved unanimously by the full Committee. The bill is the result of extensive hearings and oversight conducted by the House Select Committee on Homeland Security in the 108th Congress, and by the permanent standing Committee on Homeland Security in the current 109th Congress. "With this legislation, the Congress is underscoring the role of the Department of Homeland Security as a permanent pillar of our Nation's national security structure. The annual authorization process inaugurated with this bill, under which the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community already operate, will subject the Department of Homeland Security to ongoing Congressional oversight and evaluation of their programs. This is a necessary element of sustaining the Department of Homeland Security's national security mission," said Homeland Security Committee Chairman Christopher Cox (R-CA). "Congress is providing comprehensive legislative guidance to help ensure the Department possesses the resources and authority to achieve its missions," he added. "Prevention of terrorism requires that intelligence and information sharing about terrorist threats be seamless, timely, and secure. This information must be delivered to those who need it in time to prevent harm to American towns and cities, to our people, and to the economy. This bill will help us accomplish that, and much more." Key provisions of the authorization bill include authorization of overall DHS spending for 2006; the accelerated deployment of homeland security technology; compensation incentives to enhance recruitment of homeland security intelligence professionals; full funding for 2,000 new border patrol agents; reform of the color-coded Homeland Security Advisory System; and creation of an Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity to oversee a proposed National Cybersecurity Office. Text of H.R. 1817 and comprehensive background information are available at http://homeland.house.gov.