Sen. Jon Kyl

s chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security, and an eight-year veteran of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Sen. Jon Kyl has been thinking about protecting the homeland for years.
Born in Oakland, Neb., Kyl earned his undergraduate and law degrees at the University of Arizona and practiced law in Phoenix for 20 years before coming to Congress in 1986. As a representative of a border state, Kyl has focused considerable time on the issue of border security, and has made a name for himself as a leader on defense policy.

Last year, Kyl, 61, held a series of hearings on the nature of the terrorist threat facing the United States, including sessions on border security, narco-terrorism, the influence of hard-line Wahhabi Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia, terrorism financing, domestic terrorist recruitment, and database security.

A tireless legislator and committed conservative who likes to work behind the scenes, Kyl brings a lawyer's exacting approach to his panel's work. He not only enjoys an excellent working relationship with subcommittee ranking member and moderate Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., but he also has worked closely with liberal Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.

Last May, Kyl shepherded legislation through the Senate to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to cover individual "lone wolf" international terrorists who are not formally affiliated with a group. Kyl said holding a hearing this year on potential changes to the controversial USA PATRIOT Act-"to demonstrate that there's no reason to fear [them]"-is at the top of his agenda, along with further exploration of radical Islamic groups "that foment hatred in the United States and abroad among young people."