GovernmentExecutive.com

A sweeping overhaul of the U.S. intelligence community includes provisions to beef up Homeland Security agencies, such as hiring thousands of new security agents, investing billions in aviation security, and raising the mandatory retirement age for FBI agents.

The 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act was approved by the Senate by a 89-2 vote, and in the House on a vote of 336-75. It now goes to President Bush for his signature.

"We are enacting the most comprehensive overhaul of our nation's intelligence agencies in more than 50 years," said Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., co-authors of the legislation. "We are, in essence, giving the intelligence program a long overdue upgrade, so that our intelligence community has the resources, personnel, oversight, coordination and accountability necessary to counter the security threats of today and the future."

The bill implements many of the recommendations made by the Sept. 11 commission. Within its 245 pages, however, are many provisions beefing up Homeland Security agencies.

For example, it increases the number of full-time border patrol agents by 10,000 over five years and the number of full-time Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigators by 4,000 over five years. It also orders an increase in the number of beds available for immigration detainees by 40,000 in the same time period.

The bill requires DHS to test advanced technology systems to secure the U.S. northern border, such as sensors, video and unmanned aerial vehicles. DHS also is required to devise a plan for systemic surveillance of the southwest border by remotely piloted aircraft.

The bill authorizes nearly $2 billion in new funding for the Transportation Security Administration to improve aviation security. That includes $600 million to improve air cargo security from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2007, $300 million to develop new air cargo security technology from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2007, $450 million for baggage-screening improvements, more than $250 million for weapons-detection equipment, $100 million to research explosives detection technology, and $150 million to test new screening equipment.

The bill requires DHS to develop a national strategy for transportation security and to determine appropriate screening staff levels to ensure that delays at airport security checkpoints are minimized.

With regard to the FBI, the bill increases the mandatory retirement age of agents from 60 to 65, and allows the creation of a Reserve Service "for temporary re-employment of employees in the bureau during periods of emergency."

The bill establishes minimum federal standards for birth certificates and driver licenses, and requires DHS to establish minimum identification standards for passengers boarding commercial aircraft. DHS also is required to make recommendations for identification standards to gain access to federal facilities.

9/11 Chairman Thomas Kean, former Republican governor of New Jersey, and Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton, former Democratic congressman from Indiana, thanked lawmakers for passing the bill, but said much work still remains.

"Some of the commission's recommendations--on foreign policy, nonproliferation, outreach to the Arab and Islamic world, and public safety access to broadcast spectrum--while partially addressed here, cannot be resolved by legislation alone," the chairmen said. "They will require additional and continued attention, and we look forward to working with partners both outside and inside the government on their behalf."

COMMENTS

• I'm glad to see that several ICE agents already have pointed out the fact that this "reform" bill does not include a single dime to fund any of the extra Border Patrol and ICE agents it authorizes. Americans will have to wait until the appropriations process next fall to see whether the funding is forthcoming. That is not the only critical shortcoming of this bill, however. The 9/11 Commission documented a littany of immigration loopholes that terrorists have used to enter and remain in the United States. The bill passed by the House to address the Commission's findings, H.R. 10, addressed virtually all these loopholes. The bill that was signed into law yesterday (12/17) will do almost nothing to prevent foreign terrorists from attacking us on our own soil again. The provision regarding Federal standards for driver's licenses is a perfect example. The driver's license provision passed by the House and advocated by Rep. Sensenbrenner during the conference actually listed minimum standards of issuance and design, including a requirement that the applicant provide proof of legal presense in the country. Senate conferees, though, insisted on a hollow promise that the Department of Transportation will negotiate with the 50 states to see if they can agree on some unspecified minimum standards by 2008. And even then, states will be able to opt out of compliance. The 19 9/11 hijackers had 364 aliases (that we know of) and 63 state-issued driver's licenses -- some issued to hijackers who were illegally present -- which they used to board the airplanes with which they murdered 3,000 Americans. Yet the Senate couldn't bring itself to inconvenience illegal aliens, even to protect Americans' lives. Rosemary Jenks Posted December 18, 2004 3:49 AM
• Before hiring an additional 10,000 Border Patrol agents and 4,000 ICE agents, DHS needs to correct many severe problems, especially within ICE. The idiots in charge have given away so much traditional Customs investigative authority to the FBI and DEA that ICE is on the brink of collapse. As another response mentioned, nobody in DHS has the authority to investigate terrorism, even though we were created specifically for that purpose. This entire department is simply a puppet for the FBI. The FBI had a seat at the table during the creation of DHS even though they aren't even a part of it. It's therefore no surprise that we have given so much away to them. And on top of that, when the next terrorist attack happens, the FBI has the perfect scapegoat - DHS. So in essence, an entire department was created in which the FBI has been able to pilfer whatever it wants from it, and which the FBI will be able to blame for any future tragedies. It's perfect for the FBI, and extremely disturbing for anyone interested in the security of the U.S. Seeing as the FBI wants authority over everything, I suggest forcing them to take full jurisdiction over all illegal immigration issues. Then perhaps DHS can get to the work at hand - terrorism, weapons violations, drugs, money laundering, terrorist financing, and border security. Additionally, with the sudden rush to hire 10,000 new border patrol agents and 4,000 new ICE agents, can you imagine the crap we are going to get? With such a hiring craze, the hiring process will no doubt be significantly streamlined, and standards will be lowered to dangerous levels. Border Patrol and Immigration already had severe problems in these areas due to their notorious turnover rates, and now that problem is going to be even worse. Border Patrol and ICE will be overrun by delinquents soon after this new hiring frenzy begins. GovExec.com reader Posted December 13, 2004 12:06 PM
• Wow, Where do I start. 4,000 new SA positions over 4 years. I'm impressed ! Another unfunded mandate that is meaningless without the funds to actually hire these new Agents; smoking mirrors? Who is Congress kidding. I have to fax in my G ride gas receipts every week to my RAC. How many unhappy Agents are going to bail out of this failed, dysfunctional ICE Agency in four years, will there be a break even point with the new hires ? Too bad this bill did not include a clause or language firing Michael Garcia, Clark, Forman, Hutchinson and the Headquarters mouthpiece spinmyster, Russ Knocke . Let the Legacy Customs Agents go to CBP and concentrate on the Customs violations that they were well adapt at doing. Conversely let the Legacy INS Agents return to working only INS related violations, including the OCEDEF Task Forces and related VGTF units. Two weeks of cross training for the respective Agents was a joke ! I hope these new ICE Agent Trainee hires, if they EVER in FACT get hired, look very closely at ICE as a career before they sign on the dotted line ! GovExec.com reader Posted December 10, 2004 8:10 PM