Senate bill creates DHS management post

A bill approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Wednesday would establish a top management office in the Homeland Security Department.

The bill (S. 547) would create the position of deputy secretary of Homeland Security for management, to serve as a principal adviser to the secretary of the Homeland Security Department on all issues related to management of the department.

The legislation was approved by voice vote without debate.

Sponsored by Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, the bill specifies a five-year term for the deputy secretary, a position that would be appointed by the president. The DHS secretary would maintain the first- and second-highest ranking positions in the agency, the newly created position would be the third-highest ranking official.

When he introduced the bill, Voinovich said that he believed the current under-secretary position lacked the authority to maintain a management strategy across the entire department. He also cited Government Accountability Office and inspector general reports that highlighted management and logistical problems at DHS that put the agency at risk for waste, fraud and abuse.