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Tuesday, July 23, 2002

The latest Senate plan would create a stand-alone office within the new department to serve as a central collection point for all intelligence relating to terrorism. The plan is controversial because it would grant the office some authority to direct agencies such as the FBI and the CIA, aides said.

"If the office is a major new collector of intelligence, it should have the authority to do something with the information it's been collecting," said Leslie Phillips, spokesperson for the Democrat-led Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, which is writing the bill.

Leading committee Republican Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee expressed early disagreement with the plan Monday. He instead advocates a reform of the security agencies outside of the new agency, aides said.

"The senator doesn't think the proposed directorate is appropriate at this time," said Michele Semones, a Thompson spokeswoman.

The Senate and the House are rushing to complete plans for the new agency before the August recess. On Friday, a key House committee voted to endorse a bill substantially like that advocated by President Bush. The Senate version calls for additional changes, including a shift in priorities.

Pro-Immigration Groups Pleased

The draft Senate bill, released Friday by Governmental Affairs Chairman Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., creates separate departments within the new agency for immigration, science and technology policy, and intelligence. This shift has won advocates from pro-immigrant organizations, said Angela Kelley, deputy director of National Immigration Forum.

"In our view, the Senate takes the smart approach by putting immigration in an elevated sub-department. That gets at what has always plagued the INS – it's not had enough attention, which has hurt policy making," Kelley said.

The bill also differs from presidential requests by creating a director who must be confirmed by the Senate and requiring standard civil service protections for employees. The administration has requested the flexibility to deny union membership rights to some employees to make the agency more agile.

In a sign of things to come, prominent Republican senators began to assail the draft Monday.

"The Lieberman bill not only fails to provide the president with all the tools he needs to accomplish his most important duty, it actually strips him of the executive authority he already has. The president asked for a freer hand to fight terrorism – this bill handcuffs him," said Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas, in a statement.

In many respects, however, the Senate bill closely parallels the administration's plan, including the Coast Guard, Customs and the Federal Emergency Management Agency within the new department. The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee will begin discussing the bill Wednesday.

In the House, members of the Select Committee on Homeland Security split along party lines Friday in approving a draft plan. The Republican-supported bill will be debated on the House floor starting Thursday, and a final vote is expected Friday, aides said.

In a joint statement, committee Democrats said they withheld support for the bill primarily over concern about civil-service privileges for employees. They objected strongly to a final-hour Republican amendment to push the deadline for mandatory baggage screening back by one year, to Dec. 31, 2003.

However, despite the objections, a number of key aides said Monday they predicted that Democrats would come out in force for the final vote, as the new agency is of vital importance to the country.

Copyright 2002 by United Press International.

All rights reserved.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

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