Pete Olson: “I rise in support of H.R. 553, the Reducing Over-Classification Act of 2009, which seeks to address the problem of…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 553, the Reducing Over-Classification Act of 2009, which seeks to address the problem of over-classification of sensitive information. While classification has an essential role in protecting our country from harm, over-classification is a very serious problem within the Federal Government, and Chair Harman should be commended for her hard work on the bill. H.R. 553 rightfully concludes that over-classification could interfere with sharing of critically important homeland security information. Unfortunately, because of jurisdictional issues, this bill only applies to the Department of Homeland Security. So, while the goals of this bill should be supported, we remain concerned that this bill may lead to policies that are not uniform throughout the Federal Government. As this legislation moves forward, we would encourage the Congress to adopt a government-wide approach to the problem of over-classification so that agencies and departments operate with a uniform set of classification policies.”