House bill would boost power of DHS privacy chief

The Homeland Security Department's top privacy official would receive a broad expansion of power if the House version of a bill to implement unfinished 9/11 commission recommendations is enacted.

Hugo Teufel, chief privacy officer at DHS, said Thursday that the measure (H.R. 1) would grant his office subpoena power. The bill also would grant the officer the authority to report directly to Congress without first asking more senior DHS officials, and provide for a maximum five year-term in office.

Teufel didn't express an opinion on the legislation, which cleared the House last week but has yet to come up in the Senate. He spoke at the American Bar Association's annual Homeland Security Law Institute gathering in Washington. The House measure would fundamentally change the way the DHS privacy office is run, Teufel said, giving the office's head authority similar to that of the department's inspector general.

Maureen Cooney, who served as the department's acting privacy chief for 10 months prior to Teufel's arrival in July, said she liked much of the legislation. Direct reports to Congress would expedite the flow of information, allowing complaints and concerns to be heard in a more timely fashion, she said.

Cooney said the privacy chief should maintain an ombudsman role. She also suggested that the privacy office would benefit from a bigger budget.