Study outlines Senate homeland security oversight

Through congressional reorganization, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee now has direct oversight of more than 60 programs, offices or agencies within the Homeland Security Department, according to a study released by the committee Monday.

The committee does not, however, have jurisdiction over some of the largest parts of the department, such as the Transportation Security Administration, the Citizenship and Immigration Service, the Border Patrol, the Coast Guard, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, or the Secret Service.

The committee was created last year in response to the final report of the 9/11 commission, which found that DHS reported to 88 committees and subcommittees. The commission recommended that Congress reorganize and consolidate jurisdiction over homeland security efforts to provide better oversight.

The new committee has jurisdiction over parts of four DHS directorates and the Office of the Secretary, according to the study.

Within the Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Directorate, the committee has jurisdiction over the National Communications System, the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office, the National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center, the Federal Computer Incident Response Center, the National Emergency Technology Guard program, and the department's energy security assurance activities.

It also has oversight of the National Infrastructure Protection Center, except for the center's computer investigations and operations section.

The committee has sole jurisdiction over the department's Science and Technology Directorate, which includes the Office of Science and Technology; the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency; the Office for National Laboratories; the Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee; the Homeland Security Institute; the Technology Clearinghouse program; the Environmental Measurements Laboratory; the National Bio-weapons Defense Analysis Center; and Plum Island Animal Disease Center.

It also has jurisdiction over Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's advanced scientific computer research program and activities.

Several entities within the Border and Transportation Security directorate, however, remain outside the purview of the committee.

For example, the Senate Judiciary Committee has oversight of the Border Patrol, the Office of Citizenship, the National Customer Service Center, the office of the ombudsman for Citizenship and Immigration Services, the department's detention and removal program and intelligence, investigations and inspections programs, and activities related to the care of unaccompanied alien children.

The Judiciary Committee and Foreign Relations Committee share oversight of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services and immigrant-related adjudications.

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee retains jurisdiction over the Transportation Security Administration and the Transportation Security Oversight Board.

The Finance and Judiciary committees share oversight of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, however, has oversight of the Office of Domestic Preparedness, the Federal Protective Service, the National Targeting Center, the Headquarters Reporting Center, and agriculture import and entry inspection programs.

The committee shares oversight of the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement with the Judiciary Committee.

Within the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate, the committee has jurisdiction over the National Domestic Preparedness Offices, the Nuclear Incident Response Team, the Integrated Hazard Information System, the National Disaster Medical System, the Metropolitan Medical Response System, and domestic emergency support teams.

The committee shares jurisdiction over the Federal Emergency Management Agency with the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.

The committee retained widespread oversight over the office of the DHS secretary, including the department's inspector general.