On the recordJanuary 23, 2007
The bill we consider today will streamline the procurement process of the Department of Homeland Security by implementing the SAFETY Act. The SAFETY Act was enacted in November 2002 as a part of the Homeland Security Act. At that time it was the intent of Congress to spur the development and deployment of innovative antiterrorism technologies. The act does this, in part, by limiting the liability exposure of companies that provide those technologies in the event of a terrorist attack. Since the law was enacted, however, the number of applications to DHS for SAFETY Act protections has fallen well below expectations. Critics charged that this result is due to a number of factors, including the Department's slow evaluation and approval process, the understaffing in key DHS offices, and the lack of full coordination between the SAFETY Act office and the procurement office in the process at DHS.
Source
govinfo.gov
