Information-sharing bill on fast track in House

Rep. Jane Harman on Tuesday predicted that legislation to boost information sharing among federal agencies and state and local governments would be ready for House floor action within the next several weeks.

The bill, H.R. 4598, would direct federal intelligence agencies such as the FBI and CIA to share information about possible terrorist attacks with the nation's governors, mayors, law enforcement personnel and "first responders" to emergencies. It has the support of the White House Office of Homeland Security, Harman said, and is likely to be considered under "suspension of the rules," a procedure designed to expedite House action.

"This bill will give real heft to [Homeland Security Director Tom] Ridge's color-coding system," Harman, D-Calif., said at a Brookings Institution media briefing on Brookings' new homeland security report. The color-coding system alerts state and local law enforcement to the level of a security threat.

Harman also said that this Thursday, she and Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, as well Sens. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., and Arlen Specter, R-Pa., will file revised legislation to establish a Cabinet-level homeland security department. The aim of the measure is to give Ridge the legal authority to testify to Congress on funding for homeland security efforts and to formally establish his authority over other agencies.

Harman noted that a consistent problem with tackling security is that Congress and the Bush administration have been considering security in a "piecemeal fashion," without a broad strategy for finding terrorists and thwarting their actions. She said that approach also makes Congress' job difficult because it cannot adequately consider where to allocate funds. Ridge's office has targeted July 1 as the day to release its national strategy on homeland security.