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Committee Oversight Plan
Oversight Plan of the Committee on Homeland Security
112th Congress
Clause 2(d) of Rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives for the 112th Congress requires each standing Committee to adopt an oversight plan for the two-year period of the Congress and to submit the plan to the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform and House Administration not later than February 15th of the first session of the Congress.
This is the oversight plan for the Committee on Homeland Security for the 112th Congress. It includes the areas in which the Committee expects to conduct oversight during the 112th Congress, but does not preclude oversight or investigation of additional matters as the need arises.
Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Intelligence, and Radicalization
Terrorist Detention and Trials
In the 112th Congress, the Committee will examine the effect on national security of the transportation of unprivileged enemy combatants to the United States to be detained and tried before a jury in a Federal civilian court. The examination will include a review of the potential risk of holding high-value detainees, such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other co-conspirators of the attacks of September 11th, on domestic soil; the risk of inadvertent disclosure of sensitive information during the trial; and the recommendations delivered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS or Department) as part of the Guantanamo Review Task Force.
The Committee will also examine the Obama Administration’s policy concerning the Detention Center at the U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. This oversight will include a review of the Secretary of Homeland Security’s role as a member of the President’s Guantanamo Detention Task Force, as outlined in Executive Order 13492. Furthermore, the Committee will examine the homeland security ramifications of the Administration’s plans to purchase detention space within the United States for the purposes of detaining enemy combatants currently held at Guantanamo Bay and conducting military commissions for terrorists detained at Guantanamo.
Counterterrorism
In the 112th Congress, the Committee will examine the counterterrorism policies of the U.S. government, with specific focus on the Department of Homeland Security. This examination will include an assessment of the worldwide threat against the U.S. homeland from Al Qaeda core, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), al Shahbab, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and other emerging terrorist groups.
Homegrown Radicalization
In the 112th Congress, the Committee will examine the increasing threat of Islamic radicalization in the homeland, as evidenced by the terrorist attacks at Fort Hood and in Times Square, including an examination of the role that mosques, prisons, and the Internet play in facilitating such radicalization. In addition, the Committee will examine Al Qaeda, its affiliates, and other terrorist organizations’ evolving strategy of recruiting individuals inside the United States, including American citizens and naturalized citizens. Furthermore, the Committee will examine the role of Muslim communities in combating radicalization and cooperation with Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in terrorism investigations. The Committee also intends to examine what approach the Department of Homeland Security plans to take to address the increasing radicalization of individuals within the United States.
Department of Homeland Security Intelligence Enterprise
The Department of Homeland Security Intelligence Enterprise is composed of both DHS component and headquarters elements that have an intelligence function. During the 112th Congress, the Committee will conduct oversight of intelligence activities across the Department. Additionally, the Committee will oversee the progress made in the coordination and collaboration of information collection and intelligence analysis occurring across the DHS Intelligence Enterprise, as well as the further development and role of the Homeland Security Intelligence Council (HSIC) in coordination and collaboration with Departmental intelligence activities.
During the 112th Congress, the Committee will review efforts to build the intelligence, analytical, and assessment capabilities of the Department and to ensure its full participation in the Intelligence Community as part of its homeland security mission. The Committee will examine whether the Department is receiving relevant intelligence and law enforcement information from other Federal agencies in a timely manner; whether the Secretary of Homeland Security is appropriately involved in the prioritization of the Federal government’s intelligence collection requirements for homeland security purposes; and the Department’s role in managing, distributing, and otherwise using terrorist threat information in furtherance of its homeland security mission.
Additionally, the Committee will examine the hiring authorities, practices, and career-development of intelligence analysts and professionals within the Department. The Committee will examine the progress of DHS intelligence analyst training programs, and whether they are meeting the needs of both the Department and state, local, and private sector partners.
Counterintelligence
Throughout the 112th Congress, the Committee will track the development of the newly reorganized Department of Homeland Security Counterintelligence Program, to ensure it is fully meeting the Department’s needs.
Information Sharing
During the 112th Congress, the Committee will examine the progress being made to further terrorist and homeland security information sharing efforts among Federal, state, and local governments, law enforcement entities, first responders, emergency management personnel, and the private sector. The Committee intends to explore the Department of Homeland Security’s coordination and collaboration with the National Counterterrorism Center, particularly through the Interagency Threat Assessment and Coordination Group, in its efforts to disseminate necessary terrorist threat information among Federal, state, and local governments and the private sector. While supporting the Department’s and government-wide information sharing efforts, the Committee will review efforts to ensure the security of sensitive and classified information and guard against unlawful access or disclosure, as in the case of WikiLeaks.
Further, the Committee will examine the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to establish policy for and coordinate information sharing efforts from across the Federal government to and from state and local fusion centers across the country. Additionally, the Committee will examine the Department’s internal processes and coordination to share information between the fusion centers and the Department.
The National Operations Center
The Department of Homeland Security’s National Operations Center (NOC) serves as the national nerve center for information sharing and domestic incident management, by increasing the vertical coordination among Federal, state, and local government and private sector partners. In the 112th Congress, the Committee will oversee the Department’s efforts to collect and fuse information in the NOC in order to maintain domestic situational awareness, and to carry out its role as the primary national-level center during domestic incidents and special events.
United States Secret Service
In the 112th Congress, the Committee will examine the homeland security operations of the United States Secret Service, including its critical role of protecting the President of the United States and presidential candidates in the 2012 presidential election.
Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security
Operational Control of the Border
During the 112th Congress, the Committee will focus on what additional policies and resources are necessary for the Department to gain operational control over the land and maritime borders of the United States, to include staffing, technology, infrastructure, and improved coordination. The Committee will also assess the progress and deliverables of programs to harden U.S. land borders from illegal entry by terrorists, criminal organizations, other unknown individuals, and contraband through the deployment of personnel, infrastructure, and technology. The Committee will also review border security efforts on the northern border, to include the deployment of technology and status of international agreements.
Furthermore, the Committee continues to be concerned about the threat of spill-over violence stemming from the rise of drug cartels and the increasingly violent conflict throughout Mexico. During the 112th Congress, the Committee will conduct rigorous oversight of these issues.
Border Screening and Terrorist Travel
In the 112th Congress, the Committee intends to review efforts to ensure the deployment and implementation of technology, training, and infrastructure enhancements to assist border and consular officials in identifying, intercepting, and disrupting terrorists or others who would do our Nation harm and who are attempting to enter or travel within the United States. As a part of this review, the Committee will monitor the Department’s efforts to detect, detain, and remove aliens apprehended at or near U.S. borders and ports of entry who are subject to deportation, particularly those from countries of terrorist concern. The Committee will address security-related deficiencies in the immigration and naturalization process that terrorists could use to gain entry to or remain in the country for illegitimate purposes. These weaknesses have and will continue to be exploited by terrorists and those seeking to commit terrorist acts. The Committee intends to explore why the Department has not more aggressively deployed personnel to high-risk visa issuing posts to improve visa security.
The Committee will also examine the integration, security, and reliability of criminal, immigration, and terrorist databases used to screen persons seeking to enter this country, to include advanced passenger information and the US-VISIT program. The Committee will also assess the development of secure travel documents. In addition, the Committee will examine the integration and effectiveness of transportation and border security screening systems for detecting high-risk passengers and cargo transported within the United States and across our borders.
Port and Maritime Security
In the 112th Congress, the Committee will examine various aspects of port and maritime security, including the security of port facilities; the screening of vessels, passengers, cargo, and crew for potential terrorists, terrorist weapons, and contraband; the development of international security standards for shipping and containers; and the implementation of the Transportation Worker Identification Card (TWIC) Pilot Program. The Committee also plans to review how the Department manages risk emerging from maritime threats and vulnerabilities such as small boats that could be utilized in acts of terrorism.
The Committee plans to review the efficiency and effectiveness of the Department’s supply chain security programs, such as the Customs Trade Partnership against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and the Container Security Initiative (CSI), to ensure a proper balance between the facilitation of lawful trade and the security of America. This will include an assessment of implementation of the Maritime and Transportation Security Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-295), the Security and Accountability for Every (SAFE) Port Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-347), relevant provisions of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-458), and the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-53).
U.S. Coast Guard
In the 112th Congress, the Committee plans to review the Coast Guard’s homeland security missions, to include ports, waterways, and coastal security; drug interdiction; migrant interdiction; law enforcement; and defense readiness. The Committee will examine Coast Guard afloat, aviation, and shore-based operations in support of these missions to ensure that the service is using a risk-based, layered strategy to enforce laws and keep America’s waters secure. This will include a specific assessment of the Coast Guard’s anti-terrorist capabilities, most notably those found within the Deployable Operations Group and its units, including Maritime Safety and Security Teams, Port Security Units, Tactical Law Enforcement Teams, and the Maritime Security Response Team. Additionally, the Committee will review resource and asset needs within the Coast Guard to make certain that the service is operationally ready to deal with threats and emergencies today while remaining on a sustainable path allowing the recapitalization of its fleet. The Committee will specifically examine the progress, efficiency, and efficacy of acquisitions programs such as the Integrated Deepwater Systems project to ensure major procurements remain on schedule and do not require a decrease in readiness throughout the service.
Furthermore, the Committee will closely investigate the Coast Guard’s specific maritime security operations and initiatives, such as the International Port Security Program and the inspection of vessels originating from ports with inadequate anti-terrorism measures. The Committee will examine these and other programs to ensure that the service is developing a full sense of maritime domain awareness and executing all of its missions in the most effective manner possible in order to keep America secure.
Subcommittee on Transportation Security
National Strategy for Transportation Security
During the 112th Congress, the Committee will examine the Department of Homeland Security’s continuing efforts to implement the National Strategy for Transportation Security, and the efforts of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in fulfilling its mandate under the Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001 and addressing security threats against all modes of transportation. The Committee’s review will consider the Department’s capacity for protecting the most at-risk transportation systems, the resiliency of critical infrastructure related to transportation, the development and deployment of technology to detect biological, chemical, and radiological threats, passenger screening, and other methods to prevent or mitigate terrorist attacks. Additionally, the Committee will examine the Department’s staffing needs and its allocation and objectives for transportation security grants.
Passenger and Baggage Screening
During the 112th Congress, the Committee will review TSA’s deployment of technology and implementation of procedures related to the screening of passengers in all forms of transportation and will examine TSA’s balancing security interests with the need for the efficient flow of travel. The Committee will conduct oversight on the cost and effectiveness of technology related to the screening of baggage, information sharing within the Federal interagency process and with international partners, and credentialing. The Committee will also review TSA’s passenger search policies and pre-screening programs, including the screening passengers against no-fly and selectee lists, the performance of the Secure Flight program, and other measures that affect the security of domestic and international air travelers.
Aviation Security
In the 112th Congress, the Committee will examine the risks and consequences of terrorist attacks on passenger and cargo aircraft, as well as the development of security measures to reduce or mitigate such risks. The Committee’s oversight will review programs and procedures implemented by the Department of Homeland Security related to commercial passenger, air cargo, and general aviation aircraft. In addition, the Committee will examine airport perimeter and access controls and technology for limiting access to the secure areas of commercial and general aviation airports. The Committee will also examine the training and management of the Federal Air Marshal Service.
Surface Transportation
In the 112th Congress, the Committee will review the Transportation Security Administration’s efforts to secure surface transit systems, including the most at-risk mass transit systems, buses, subway light rail, and passenger rail, freight rail, pipeline, and highway systems. Moreover, the Committee will consider the role of the other departments and agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), state and local agencies and private industry, in securing transportation systems. That examination will include a review of TSA plans for resourcing surface transportation inspectors.
Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications
Federal Preparedness and Response
During the 112th Congress, the Committee will examine the Administration’s efforts to review and update Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8 (HSPD-8) and the impact the delay caused by this review has had on efforts to update the National Planning Scenarios and other preparedness activities. The Committee will also examine the Department’s efforts to implement the Post Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006.
National Response and Incident Management
In the 112th Congress, the Committee will examine the effectiveness of the National Response Framework (NRF), including the Department’s role in coordinating the response efforts of all applicable Federal departments and agencies and the coordination between the Department and state and local governments, first responders, nongovernmental organizations and the private sector in implementing the NRF. The Committee will also examine the development and integration of doctrine that addresses prevention, protection, and/or recovery, including the draft National Disaster Recovery Framework. In addition, during the 112th Congress, the Committee will oversee the Department’s implementation of the National Incident Management System (NIMS), including the Department’s integration of NIMS with the NRF.
Interoperable Communications
In the 112th Congress, the Committee will monitor the progression of the Emergency Communications Preparedness Center, and the Department’s Office of Emergency Communications and Office of Interoperability and Compatibility. Specifically, the Committee will review the Department’s coordination and planning, technical assistance, communications standards, and best practices for interoperable communications systems and the proposed public safety wireless broadband network for first responders. The Committee will also oversee the Department’s implementation of grants for interoperable communications. In addition, the Committee will examine the Department’s progress in the establishment of the Integrated Public Alerts and Warnings System to ensure interoperability among different warning systems.
Assistance to State and Local Governments and First Responders
In the 112th Congress, the Committee will examine the Department’s allocation and administration of grants to enhance the ability of state and local governments and emergency responders to prevent, respond to, and recover from a terrorism incident. The Committee will review the coordination of grant programs across the Federal government; coordination within the Department in developing guidance and administering grants; challenges in the funding pipeline; strength of regional partnerships developed through grants; and the distribution and expenditure of such grants at the state and local levels. The Committee will also review ongoing efforts to comprehensively assess these investments and the improved preparedness capabilities achieved through grant programs.
First Responder Training
During the 112th Congress, the Committee will review the Department’s terrorism preparedness training programs, including awareness of these resources among first responders and state and local governments and the level of coordination among Federal, state, and local training programs. The Committee will also review existing training centers and determine whether the Department is optimally utilizing these facilities to enhance first responder terrorism preparedness.
Exercises and Simulations
In the 112th Congress, the Committee will monitor the Department’s implementation of HSPD-8, which directs the Department to create a national program and multi-year planning system to conduct terrorism preparedness-related exercises. To that end, the Committee will examine the Departments’ National Exercise Program and ongoing efforts to streamline and improve it to ensure the program enhances the preparedness of the Nation. The Committee will review whether FEMA is incorporating lessons learned from national exercises into future training, planning, exercises, and other activities. The Committee will conduct oversight of the National Level Exercise 2011 (NLE 2011), which is centered on a catastrophic earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone.
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Planning, Preparedness, and Response
During the 112th Congress, the Committee will examine the significant challenges posed by chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons to homeland security and assess the Department’s progress in implementing security strategies including prevention, preparedness, and response approaches that utilize multiple tools and policies to reduce the likelihood and impact of CBRN attacks and, thus, the CBRN risk to the Nation. The Committee will oversee the Department’s efforts to understand the evolving CBRN threat landscape, as well as integrate and share this information. The Committee will examine the Department’s capability to mitigate CBRN risks through appropriate means including preparedness and response to CBRN threats with a focus on public health capacity to respond. A critical facet of the Nation’s medical preparedness for CBRN threats is the availability of effective medical countermeasures. The Committee will consider issues such as priorities for countermeasure development and state and local preparedness for distribution and dispensing of countermeasures. The Committee will also oversee preparedness for agricultural terrorism events, to include food defense policies and veterinary leadership at the Department of Homeland Security.
Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies
Cybersecurity
In the 112th Congress, the Committee will examine the Department’s role in hardening our national critical infrastructure against cyber attacks by fortifying Federal civilian networks and collaborating with the private sector to develop the means to detect and prevent cyber attacks, reduce vulnerabilities, provide incident response, and facilitate recovery. That oversight will consider the Department’s ability to detect the incursion of malicious activity; attribute the source of that activity; and promote best practices, risk assessments, and sharing of threat information across all levels of government and the private sector. In addition, the Committee will examine the Department’s ability to foster cybersecurity research and development and to recruit and train cybersecurity personnel. The Committee will also examine the resiliency of national critical infrastructure to withstand cyber attacks and the need to optimize supply chain risk management in order to protect against manipulation without unnecessarily impeding commerce.
The Committee will also review the integration of the various cyber missions carried out across the Federal government, including its collaboration with the defense and intelligence agencies, and the Department’s role in fulfilling the goals of the National Cyber Security Plan, as well as the development and the implementation of the National Cyber Incident Response Plan, which expands upon the National Response Framework.
The SAFETY Act
The Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act (the SAFETY Act) was included as subtitle G of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, and gave the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security the authority to designate, upon application, certain anti-terrorism products and services as qualified to participate in a Federal liability protection program. The SAFETY Act helps to foster the creation of anti-terrorism products and services and facilitates job creation. During the 112th Congress, the Committee will review the need for further congressional guidance on the process and criteria used to review and approve applications for SAFETY Act certification and designation; the process and criteria used to renew SAFETY Act certifications and designations; providing SAFETY Act protection for risk mitigation strategies, processes, and procedures; the increased use of SAFETY Act protection internationally; and the Department’s ability to keep pace with the rising demand for SAFETY Act protections.
Critical Infrastructure Protection
Pursuant to Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HSPD-7), the Department is responsible for integrating sector specific strategies into a National Strategy for Critical Infrastructure Protection, and for coordinating Federal efforts across all such infrastructure sectors. During the 112th Congress, Committee oversight will focus on the implementation of the National Strategy for Critical Infrastructure Protection, including the Department’s national coordination responsibilities and its sector specific critical infrastructure protection responsibilities. The Committee will also examine the Department’s efforts to assess national critical infrastructure priorities by maintaining the National Asset Database.
In addition, the Committee will review the Department’s progress in identifying, prioritizing, recommending, and implementing protective measures to reduce vulnerabilities for critical infrastructure and key resources, including its administration of programs to promote private sector sharing of critical infrastructure threat and vulnerability-related information, and its administration of systems and programs to provide timely warnings of potential risks to critical infrastructure.
Chemical Facility Security
In the 112th Congress, the Committee will continue to examine the implementation, scope, and impact of the Department’s existing authority and regulations to secure chemical facilities and take action, as appropriate, to optimally balance the program’s effectiveness in reducing the risk posed by certain chemical facilities and the everyday demands for chemicals in commerce.
Science and Technology
During the 112th Congress, the Committee will oversee the capability of the Department’s Science & Technology Directorate to rapidly develop and deliver products and technology solutions to its customers, including the operating components of DHS, and state and local emergency responders and officials, to help them secure the homeland by preventing, protecting against, and responding to terrorist threats and natural disasters. The Committee will examine, in particular, the Department’s progress in developing a more rigorous process to identify, prioritize, and fund research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E) opportunities that balances risk to the homeland with cost, impact, and time to deliver. The Committee will review the Department’s efforts to coordinate the homeland security research and development agenda and leverage scientific knowledge and technical expertise, research, and facilities at relevant universities, research institutions, government and national laboratories, and the private sector, including the Homeland Security Centers of Excellence and Federal Funded Research and Development Centers. The Committee will also assess the status of the Department’s technical infrastructure and workforce to ensure current and future homeland security RDT&E needs will be met.
Technology to Counter Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Threats
During the 112th Congress, the Committee will examine the Department’s progress in improving the Nation’s capability to counter the threat of terrorist use of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons in the United States through multi-layered approaches that emphasize early detection at the Federal, state, and local levels, as well as post-event capabilities for remediation. The Committee will oversee the Department’s development and implementation of the overarching strategic plan for the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture. The Committee will review the Department’s chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear analysis capabilities and information sharing mechanisms to provide actionable information and an integrated operating system to guide decision makers in carrying out appropriate responses, including interdiction. To enhance the ability to interdict chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear smuggling across U.S. borders (land, air, and sea), the Committee will oversee the Department’s progress in employing risk-based methods for developing, testing, certifying, deploying and operating current and next generation chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear detection equipment. The Committee will also consider detection opportunities within the interior of the U.S. and the Department’s coordination with State and local partners to reduce the risk of radiological and nuclear terrorism to metropolitan urban areas and critical infrastructure through the Securing the Cities Initiative. Finally, the Committee will examine the Department’s chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear forensic activities to support national priorities for deterrence, attribution, and prosecution.
Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Management
Departmental Operations and Efficiency Initiatives
In the 112th Congress, the Committee will oversee the Department of Homeland Security’s day to day operations to ensure that it is operating in the most efficient and effective manner possible. The Committee will work to identify potential opportunities to eliminate duplicative or unnecessary programs, find efficiencies that will contribute to the Department’s ability to meet its vital missions, and identify areas for cost savings. The Committee will also conduct rigorous oversight to ensure departmental regulations enhance security without posing an unnecessary barrier to job creation.
Financial Management
In the 112th Congress, the Committee will continue its oversight of the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to consolidate its 13 separate financial management systems into one, unified system, known as the Transformation and Systems Consolidation (TASC) project. In coordination with this review, the Committee will also review the Department’s efforts to enhance internal controls and provide information that will enable clean audit opinions.
Departmental Workforce
Throughout the 112th Congress, the Committee will monitor the Department’s efforts to recruit and retain personnel and to address the concerns of employees in the Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Human Capital Survey and the Department’s own personnel surveys, which have indicated morale problems across the Department. In addition, the Committee will examine the Department’s Balanced Workforce Initiative, which seeks to convert contractor positions into Federal employees, to ensure an appropriate balance is struck between Federal employees and private contractors and guard against any unnecessary elimination of private sector jobs.
Information Technology Systems Management
During the 112th Congress, the Committee will review the Department’s efforts to address information technology (IT) challenges, including the management and integration of the Department’s IT systems. The Committee will review the authorities and activities of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and component CIOs to ensure the effective management and coordination of these key functions. The Committee will also monitor the Department’s progress in IT architectural planning, investment management, policy development, operations, and related personnel management.
HSPD-12 Implementation
In the 112th Congress, the Committee will monitor the Department’s implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors, including the Department’s completion of card issuance, installation of card readers, and other identification security efforts, such as the use of logical access control systems.
Headquarters Consolidation
In the 112th Congress, the Committee will review the Department’s efforts to consolidate its headquarters from more than 40 locations throughout the National Capital Region to eight or nine locations. The cornerstone of this effort is the St. Elizabeths headquarters consolidation project. The Committee will monitor the progress of the consolidation to ensure the plan is completed on time and within budget.
Acquisition Management
During the 112th Congress, the Committee will review the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security to improve the integration and coordination of the procurement functions of its components, and to ensure that effective management controls are put in place to prevent contract waste, fraud, and abuse while promoting efficiency and effectiveness. The Committee will review the authorities and activities of the Chief Procurement Officer to ensure the effective management of this key function. The Committee also will review the Department’s implementation of Section 831(a) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which grants the Secretary authority with respect to research and development projects to use more flexible contracting mechanisms in an effort to attract “nontraditional government contractors” for needed homeland security technologies, as well as the Secretary’s use of other streamlined acquisition practices.
Privacy and Civil Liberties
Section 222 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (the Act) created a Privacy Officer for the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that the Department’s information gathering and analysis functions and other programs across its components adhere to established standards for the protection of privacy. Section 705 of the Act also established an Officer for Civil Rights and Liberties to review and assess information alleging abuses of civil rights or civil liberties by employees and officials of the Department of Homeland Security. During the 112th Congress, the Committee will monitor the Department’s efforts under such laws to strike an appropriate balance between the need to combat terrorist attacks against the United States with the privacy expectations and civil rights of U.S. citizens.
Click here for a .pdf of the committee oversight plan