House passes homeland security bill, heads for home

The House finished its version of the bill to create a new Homeland Security Department Friday, passing the measure on a 295-132 vote before leaving for the August recess.

Before passing the bill, the House rejected an amendment from Rep. Connie Morella, R-Md., that would have guaranteed collective bargaining rights for employees moving to the proposed department. Morella's provision prohibited the Bush administration from waiving union rights, even for national security reasons.

Lawmakers also defeated an amendment from Reps. Martin Frost, D-Texas, and Henry Waxman, D-Calif., that would have blocked the administration from cutting the pay of employees of the proposed department. The measure would have applied Title 5 to homeland security employees and strengthened whistleblower protections.

Action on the bill now shifts to the Senate, where Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., indicated late last week that an expected completion date of Friday for Senate consideration of legislation creating a Homeland Security Department could slide. The Senate's recess is slated to begin this Friday.

Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., ushered the Democrats' version of the bill through his committee last week with the help of a few Republicans. But the White House threatened to veto that version of the bill soon after the final vote was cast.

The White House worries that the Democratic bill does not give the new department's secretary the flexibility to create an agile agency capable of quickly hiring and firing employees and reorganizing on the fly.

Lieberman has stressed that his bill closely tracks the White House proposal in most areas. "The reality is that on 85-90 percent, we are in agreement," Lieberman said before the White House issued its veto threat.

Late last week, three senators-two Republicans and a Democrat-introduced a competing homeland security bill that mirrors Bush's plan.

The White House will continue its full-court press this week to approve legislation that tracks Bush's original proposal.