Blake Moore: “in October, I co-sponsored H.R. 3026, the Office of Homeland Security Act of 2001, to establish an Office of Homeland…”

“in October, I co-sponsored H.R. 3026, the Office of Homeland Security Act of 2001, to establish an Office of Homeland Security within the Executive Office of the President. Eight months later, President George W. Bush gave impetus to the creation of a Department of Homeland Security, and Congress has been given a week to give it our stamp of approval. The primary issue for Congress and the President is what the program composition and administrative organization of the new department should be, unfortunately with only a few weeks, we had to craft the best legislation possible. As proposed, the administration bill would permit the Secretary of Homeland Security to choose how or whether their employees would be covered by current legal protections against reprisal when they call attention to instances of agency misfeasance. The bill also would exempt from the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) any information about infrastructure vulnerabilities given to the Homeland Security Department by any private or nonfederal entity. In congressional hearings, members of both parties have made it clear that the administration is overreaching, especially with regard to whistle-blowers and exemptions to the Freedom of Information Act.”