Virginia senators push homeland security contractor liability bill

Virginia Republican Sens. John Warner and George Allen have introduced a stand-alone bill that would exempt government contractors from liability involving technologies and services sold to the government for homeland security purposes.

The bill, S. 3076, is identical to language that the two previously included in a Republican-backed alternative to the Senate's version of a measure, H.R. 5005, that would create a Homeland Security Department, according to Warner spokeswoman Meredith Moseley.

The new bill would add homeland security technologies and services to an existing executive order, allowing the president to indemnify contractors for national security reasons. It would cover contracts with federal, state and local governments.

Moseley said the separate bill is just another way to push the issue. The measure has been referred to the Senate Armed Services Committee, of which Warner is the ranking Republican.