House panel adds tech position, research centers to security bill

The House Select Homeland Security Committee on Friday voted to add a position of special assistant to the secretary to the proposed Homeland Security Department to serve as a liaison with the private sector. The committee also voted to establish a network of university centers for research and development but rejected a proposal for a new homeland security institute.

The private-sector liaison, which was proposed by Republican Conference Chairman J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, would promote public-private partnerships across all levels of government, and oversee private-sector advisory councils. Industry quickly applauded the committee action.

"Congressman Watts amendment recognizes that-in order to be successful-the new department should not regulate or certify products or services," said Mark Bohannon, senior vice president of the Software and Information Industry Association. "Rather, it must work in an open and collaborative way with the private sector to fight terrorism."

The Chamber of Commerce also hailed the measure in a statement.

The university-based research centers, a concept approved by the Science Committee, was modified to let the department secretary select the universities. The selected centers would have to meet a list of 15 specific criteria promoted by several Texas Republicans. Texas Democrat Martin Frost said the list would "predispose" the secretary to select Texas A&M University, but Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas, denied that.

The committee defeated another Science Committee-approved provision creating a federally funded, nonprofit homeland security institute as recommended by the National Research Council. The institute would have assessed critical infrastructure vulnerabilities, current security measures and new technologies.

By presstime, all but one roll-call vote in the committee had followed party lines: five Republicans, four Democrats. The committee adopted by voice vote a document from the chairman making technical corrections to the 216-page bill circulated Thursday.

Among other things, the document would formalize language that would block the transfer of the computer-security division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to the new department. It also would change the name of the proposed Bureau of Immigration Enforcement to the Bureau of Border Security and would amend the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization and Priorities Act to reflect the new department.

House Minority Whip Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., opened the session by attacking the bill for omitting many individual committees' recommendations and for leaving little time for scrutiny.

Pelosi told National Journal's Technology Daily that Democrats would introduce more amendments during the day, including some affecting the high-tech industry. She highlighted the need for the FBI and Immigration and Naturalization Service to have better technology and coordination.

Pelosi said one amendment would help indemnify the providers of technology used by "first responders" to emergencies and officials fighting terrorism. The amendment would add committee-approved language enabling government to reimburse companies above the amount of their own insurance when they are drawn into lawsuits involving their own technologies, she said.