“The Intelligence Reform Bill is just another example of the progress we are making since September 11^th.  The lessons learned from that day must remain in the forefront of our minds as we continue to make adjustments to our national security, whether it is within the Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency or the Department of Homeland Security.  The protection and freedoms of the American people must always be our highest priority.”

“This is a positive step in the right direction but there is still more work to be done.  During the next Congress, I would like to continue the national debate on US identification cards for illegal aliens.  I believe this should be our next task to improve homeland security because we need to make it more difficult for terrorists to falsify documents and gain admission to our country.”

The Intelligence Reform Bill included the following:

Ø       Creates a Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to serve as the head of the Intelligence Community, serve as principle adviser to the President, and oversee and direct the implementation of the National Intelligence Program.

Ø       Creates a National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) to achieve seamless coordination across departmental lines against interdisciplinary problems epitomized by terrorism.  The NCTC will be the primary Executive Branch organization for counterterrorism intelligence and strategic operational planning.

Ø       Preserves the principle of battlefield unity of command by protecting existing statutory chain of command issues.

Ø       Protects our war fighters by providing clear delineation of authority between the intelligence bureaucracy in Washington and the existing legal chain of command.

Ø       Makes it a crime for an individual to intentionally pull a terrorist hoax or fake the death of a U.S. soldier.  Such acts siphon off valuable resources, manpower and equipment away from those trying to respond to real threats.