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| A Primedia Property | |
| May 5, 2005 | Vol. 1, No. 9 |
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Table Of Contents Lawmakers cut Homeland Security budget proposal DHS to limit liability lawsuits Wanted: Cybersecurity Leader Ashcroft starts up consulting company ADVERTISEMENT iCLASS Meets Government Standards HID supports FIPS 201 with fully-compliant iCLASS contactless smart card readers that are available to output the FASC-N in multiple configurations, providing versatility to support both existing and new access control systems. Standard communication protocols make it easy to replace existing access control card readers with HID FIPS-compliant card readers. http://www.hidcorp.com In the News Lawmakers cut Homeland Security budget proposal Lawmakers have cut nearly a half-billion dollars from the Homeland Security Department's 2006 budget proposal for what they called repeated failures to update Congress on counter-terrorism spending, The Associated Press reports. Another $310 million was ordered withheld until the department submits reports lawmakers have requested. "The department has been a reluctant partner and has ignored requests for information," says Rep. Harold Rogers (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee that approved the Homeland Security spending bill. "It is a simple equation -- no information equals no money." The House bill also eliminates $1.7 billion in fees to be generated by raising airline passenger costs $3 per ticket, a controversial proposal in President Bush's budget that was to pay for security measures. The U.S. Coast Guard took nearly all of the $485 million cut -- it lost $466 million for its 20-year Deepwater project to modernize its ship and aircraft fleet. The bill also eliminates $11 million from the Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection directorate, Homeland Security's intelligence arm. In all, the bill appropriates $31.8 billion for Homeland Security -- a 7 percent drop from the $34.1 billion the department requested. DHS to limit liability lawsuits The Department of Homeland Security is seeking to shield more antiterror research companies from product liability lawsuits, Secretary Michael Chertoff says. Chertoff, speaking to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said the department has "not fully succeeded in exploiting" legislation that limits the extent companies can be sued for problematic products. "I have a great deal of respect and understanding of the importance of our legal system," he adds. "But I also know how important it is that the legal system not create unduly high and burdensome transaction costs that do not allow us to make the kinds of rational decisions we have to make in order to protect ourselves." Until recently, DHS had been reluctant to limit product liability for many research and development companies that manufacture antiterror technology, Chamber of Commerce Vice President Andrew Howell told The Associated Press. But since January, top department officials "have stepped in and broken the logjam," Howell says. "We're looking more comprehensively at what we can do to make the SAFETY Act program efficient and hospitable, to do the job that Congress intended it to do, which is to create limited liability protection and some safe harbor for those entities that are creating the Homeland security solutions of the 21st century," Chertoff says. "And doing it in a way that's careful but also efficient and embraces the new technology as opposed to pushing it away by setting unduly high barriers." Debate over liability protections has focused recently on legislation to shield manufacturers of bioterrorism vaccines. The drug industry supports the legislation, but trial lawyers vigorously oppose the bill, which they contend would take rights away from victims. ADVERTISEMENT 
"Defending Against Terrorism:
Open Source Data Mining and Internet Exploitation" June 13-14 2005, Washington, DC Learn proven intelligence collection techniques from terrorism expert Rita Katz, director of the SITE Institute. More information. Wanted: Cybersecurity Leader A bill that would create a high-level cybersecurity official in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been approved by a House of Representatives subcommittee. The Cybersecurity Enhancement Act, approved by the House Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection and Cybersecurity, would create the position of assistant secretary for cybersecurity at DHS. The bill, sponsored by Reps. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), would also make the assistant secretary responsible for establishing a national cybersecurity threat reduction program and a national cybersecurity training program. "We are seeing increased threats and vulnerabilities associated with our information infrastructure," said Paul Kurtz, executive director of the Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA), in testimony to the committee. "We rely on our information infrastructure, yet there is no one clearly in charge of coordinating its security and reliability. The act would create a National Cybersecurity Office headed by an Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity to work alongside the Assistant Secretary for Physical Infrastructure Protection to promote cybersecurity and protect the nation's critical infrastructure. For more on the proposed new position, see the Homefront section in the coming May issue of GOVERNMENT SECURITY. Ashcroft starts up consulting company Former Attorney General John Ashcroft is starting a consulting company that will advise clients on Homeland security, law enforcement and other issues involving business and government. The company, based in Washington, will provide strategic consulting, crisis counseling and security and internal investigative services to corporations and other organizations. Ashcroft spent four years as the nation's chief law enforcement officer under President Bush. Much of Ashcroft's time was devoted to the fight against terrorism in the aftermath of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. He also was a two-term Missouri governor and one-term senator. News You Can Use Trade by the numbers: $26 billion The amount of trade activity expected this year across the three bridges operated by the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission. Securing the bridges took nearly 150 video cameras and 90-plus access control points. Read all about the Niagara Falls security structure in the April issue of GOVERNMENT SECURITY, available online now at govtsecurity.com. The following is a direct link to the story: Secure Passage Procurement Watch
Events May 13 UL/ULC Listing Seminar: The Easy Way to Obtain & Maintain Your UL/ULC Listing Montreal, Canada www.csaaul.org May 13-18 May 16-18 May 16-18 May 16-19 May 17-19 May 23-24 May 24-25 May 24-26 May 25-26 May 31-June 2 New Announcements from GOVERNMENT SECURITY magazine Now available on www.govtsecurity.com April 2005 Browse our latest issue at your leisure Coming to GOVERNMENT SECURITY in May: GOVSEC show preview Browse through the many exhibitors and be ready for the May 25 show! |
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