William F. Smith: “the President has stated about the creation of a Homeland Security Department: ``[we] face an urgent need, and we must…”

“the President has stated about the creation of a Homeland Security Department: ``[we] face an urgent need, and we must move quickly, this year, before the end of the congressional session.'' We fulfill that request today by passing H.R. 5710, the Homeland Security Act. This bipartisan legislation accomplishes many goals. The Gilmore Commission stated in 2000 that the national strategy against terrorism must address intelligence, deterrence, prevention, preemption, crisis management, and consequence management. This bill does just that. H.R. 5710 includes the provisions of H.R. 3482, the Cyber Security Enhancement Act, legislation I introduced that passed the House overwhelmingly in July. These provisions strengthen the penalties against those who commit cyber crimes. They also establish the Office of Science and Technology within the National Institute of Justice, which guarantees the ability of NIJ to continue managing the important work of that office. H.R. 5710 also includes legislation I cosponsored to require information sharing among Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The Department of Homeland Security will have a strong law enforcement role, but this role is distinct from that of the Department of Justice, which remains the principal law enforcement agency of the United States.”