House Unveils 9/11 Legislation

Oct 1, 2004 12:00 PM

The U.S. House of Representatives has released legislation that incorporates the 9/11 Commission's suggestions to improve intelligence, immigration and national security.

The bill includes provisions for the creation of a national intelligence director and counterterrorism center, new anti-terror and immigration enforcement powers, and stronger identity theft and money-laundering preventive measures.

“The bill represents the best thinking of those most knowledgeable about the intelligence community and the problems that beset it,” says Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.

House officials hope to complete work and send legislation to the president before the election.

The Senate planned to take up its version of the 9/11 commission recommendations, which deals mostly with creating the national intelligence director and a national counterterrorism center. Senators expect to address other commission recommendations through amendments on the Senate floor.

Here are some highlights of the House legislation:

• Automatically makes the person serving as CIA director on the day the president signs the bill the new national intelligence director.

• Sets up a national counterterrorism center to coordinate anti-terror efforts and a joint intelligence community council made up of the secretaries of state, treasury, Homeland security, energy and defense, as well as the attorney general, to advise the national intelligence director.

• Requires fines and jail time for military or terror hoaxes.

• Prescribes jail time and fines for people who receive military-style training from terror groups or provide material or financial support for terrorists or terrorist groups.

• Expands the prohibition and penalties against using or participation in the use of chemical and nuclear weapons, including coverage of the U.S. mail system.

• Requires the Homeland Security Department to start testing a next-generation airline passenger prescreening system to match passenger name records to the automatic no-fly lists and to set up a system to allow people to appeal their placement on those lists.

• Requires DHS to give priority to developing, testing, improving and deploying technology at screening checkpoints at airports that would detect nonmetallic weapons and explosives being transported by individuals.

• Increases the number of border patrol agents and U.S. Customs agents.

• Sets minimum standards for driver's licenses that can be accepted by the federal government as identification and requires states to link their driver's license databases.

• Requires increased security for birth certificates and sets up an electronic database where states can share and check birth and death certificates electronically.

• Creates a national database for the granting, denial or revocation of security clearances.

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