1 110TH CONGRESS " ! REPORT 2d Session SENATE 110–524 ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS R E P O R T OF THE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS UNITED STATES SENATE AND ITS SUBCOMMITTEES FOR THE ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS November 19, 2008—Ordered to be printed U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 79–010 WASHINGTON : 2008 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Aug 31 2005 05:41 Nov 20, 2008 Jkt 079010 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5012 Sfmt 5012 E:\HR\OC\SR524.XXX SR524 jbell on PROD1PC69 with HEARING congress.#13 COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN, Connecticut, Chairman CARL LEVIN, Michigan SUSAN M. COLLINS, Maine DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii TED STEVENS, Alaska THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, Ohio MARK L. PRYOR, Arkansas NORM COLEMAN, Minnesota MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana TOM COBURN, Oklahoma BARACK OBAMA, Illinois PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri JOHN WARNER, Virginia JON TESTER, Montana JOHN E. SUNUNU, New Hampshire MICHAEL L. ALEXANDER, Staff Director BRANDON L. MILHORN, Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel TRINA DRIESSNACK TYRER, Chief Clerk (II) VerDate Aug 31 2005 05:41 Nov 20, 2008 Jkt 079010 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 E:\HR\OC\SR524.XXX SR524 jbell on PROD1PC69 with HEARING COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS DURING THE 109TH CONGRESS SUSAN M. COLLINS, Maine, Chairman TED STEVENS, Alaska JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN, Connecticut GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, Ohio CARL LEVIN, Michigan NORM COLEMAN, Minnesota DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii TOM COBURN, Oklahoma THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware LINCOLN D. CHAFEE, Rhode Island MARK DAYTON, Minnesota ROBERT F. BENNETT, Utah FRANK LAUTENBERG, New Jersey PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico MARK PRYOR, Arkansas JOHN W. WARNER, Virginia SUBCOMMITTEES OF THE 109TH CONGRESS FEDERAL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, GOVERNMENT INFORMATION, AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY TOM COBURN, Oklahoma, Chairman TED STEVENS, Alaska THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, Ohio CARL LEVIN, Michigan LINCOLN D. CHAFEE, Rhode Island DANIEL AKAKA, Hawaii ROBERT F. BENNETT, Utah MARK DAYTON, Minnesota PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico FRANK LAUTENBERG, New Jersey JOHN W. WARNER, Virginia OVERSIGHT OF GOVERNMENT MANAGEMENT, THE FEDERAL WORKFORCE, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, Ohio, Chairman TED STEVENS, Alaska DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii NORM COLEMAN, Minnesota CARL LEVIN, Michigan TOM COBURN, Oklahoma THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware LINCOLN D. CHAFEE, Rhode Island MARK DAYTON, Minnesota ROBERT F. BENNETT, Utah FRANK LAUTENBERG, New Jersey PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico MARK PRYOR, Arkansas JOHN W. WARNER, Virginia PERMANENT SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS NORM COLEMAN, Minnesota, Chairman TED STEVENS, Alaska CARL LEVIN, Michigan TOM COBURN, Oklahoma DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii LINCOLN D. CHAFEE, Rhode Island THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware ROBERT F. BENNETT, Utah MARK DAYTON, Minnesota PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico FRANK LAUTENBERG, New Jersey JOHN W. WARNER, Virginia MARK PRYOR, Arkansas (III) VerDate Aug 31 2005 05:41 Nov 20, 2008 Jkt 079010 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 E:\HR\OC\SR524.XXX SR524 jbell on PROD1PC69 with HEARING CONTENTS Page I. Highlights of Activities .................................................................................. 1 Emergency-Management Reform ............................................................... 1 Extended Jobless Benefits for Hurricane Victims .................................... 5 Port Security ............................................................................................... 5 Chemical Security ....................................................................................... 7 Postal Service Reform ................................................................................. 8 Funding Transparency ............................................................................... 8 Iraq Reconstruction .................................................................................... 9 II. Committee Jurisdiction ................................................................................. 10 III. Bills and Resolutions Referred and Considered .......................................... 13 IV. Hearings ......................................................................................................... 13 V. Reports, Prints, and GAO Reports ............................................................... 17 VI. Official Communications ............................................................................... 25 VII. Legislative Actions ......................................................................................... 25 Measures Enacted Into Law ...................................................................... 26 Postal Naming Bills .................................................................................... 30 VIII. Presidential Nominations .............................................................................. 37 IX. Activities of the Subcommittees ................................................................... 42 FEDERAL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, GOVERNMENT INFORMATION, AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY SUBCOMMITTEE I. Hearings ......................................................................................................... 42 II. Legislation ...................................................................................................... 66 III. GAO Reports .................................................................................................. 67 OVERSIGHT OF GOVERNMENT MANAGEMENT, THE FEDERAL WORKFORCE, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SUBCOMMITTEE I. Hearings ......................................................................................................... 68 II. Legislation ...................................................................................................... 85 Measures Enacted Into Law ...................................................................... 85 Measures Favorably Reported by the Subcommittee and Passed by the Senate .................................................................................................. 86 Measures Referred to the Subcommittee on which Hearings were held or other Legislative Action was taken ..................................................... 86 Measures which did not advance beyond referral to Subcommittee ...... 88 III. GAO Reports .................................................................................................. 93 PERMANENT SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS I. Historical Background ................................................................................... 95 A. Subcommittee Jurisdiction .................................................................... 95 B. Past Investigations ................................................................................. 96 II. Subcommittee Hearings during the 109th Congress .................................. 101 III. Legislation Activities during the 109th Congress ....................................... 120 IV. Reports and Prints ......................................................................................... 122 V. Requested and sponsored GAO Reports ....................................................... 142 (iv) VerDate Aug 31 2005 05:41 Nov 20, 2008 Jkt 079010 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5905 Sfmt 5905 E:\HR\OC\SR524.XXX SR524 jbell on PROD1PC69 with HEARING 110TH CONGRESS SENATE REPORT " ! 2d Session 110–524 ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS DURING THE 109TH CONGRESS NOVEMBER 19, 2008.—Ordered to be printed Mr. LIEBERMAN, from the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, submitted the following REPORT This report reviews the legislative and oversight activities of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and its Subcommittees during the 109th Congress. These activities were conducted pursuant to the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended; by Rule XXV(k) of the Standing Rules of the Senate; and by additional authorizing resolutions of the Senate. See Section II, ‘‘Committee Jurisdiction,’’ for details. Senator Collins was Chairman of the Committee throughout the 109th Congress; Senator Lieberman was the Ranking Member. Major activities of the Committee during the 109th Congress in- cluded investigations, oversight, and legislation involving emer- gency preparedness and response, security improvements for ports and chemical facilities, Postal Service reform, the reconstruction ef- fort in Iraq, and accessibility of legislative information. Discussion of these major activities appears in Section I, below; additional in- formation on these and other measures appears in Section VII, ‘‘Legislative Actions.’’ Extensive information about the Committee’s history, hearings, legislation, documents, Subcommittees, and other matters is avail- able at the Web site, http://hsgac.senate.gov/. I. HIGHLIGHTS OF ACTIVITIES EMERGENCY-MANAGEMENT REFORM Hurricane Katrina’s assault on the Gulf Coast in late August 2005 revealed serious defects at all levels of government in plans and systems to prepare for and respond to major disasters. The Hurricane Katrina disaster led to one of the Committee’s biggest investigations and to sweeping reform legislation. Having