Dutch Ruppersberger: “First, I support this amendment. The amendment would include a sense of Congress language to encourage the Director of…”

“First, I support this amendment. The amendment would include a sense of Congress language to encourage the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Homeland Security to integrate the intelligence-sharing capability of fusion centers and leverage participation from all intelligence, law enforcement, and homeland security agencies to prevent acts of terrorism against the United States. I thank the gentleman for this amendment, which is very timely as we approach the 10th anniversary of September 11. The Intelligence Committee is holding a series of open hearings in order to acknowledge the progress made in the intelligence and national security community since 9/11 and to identify areas that will need improvement. One area we will explore is Federal collaboration with first responders at State and local levels. The Bipartisan Policy Center and the former cochairman of the 9/11 Commission, Lee Hamilton, recently issued a report about our national response to 9/11 over the last 10 years. They found that Federal and local information sharing is still not as good as it could be. The proposed sense of Congress is consistent with the findings of numerous organizations, but our Nation still requires better integration of intelligence. I therefore urge a ``yes'' vote on the amendment. Also, I acknowledge the fact you are a former prosecutor. I am a former prosecutor. Our chairman is a former FBI agent.”