Senate Passes 2012 Intelligence Authorization Bill

Media release:

            Washington—Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Vice Chairman Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) today announced Senate approval of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012.

 

            The legislation provides new authorities to improve the operations and oversight of the United States intelligence community. It also provides the Director of National Intelligence with needed personnel management authorities during a period of strained federal budgets.

 

            Feinstein said, "Passage of this law marks the completion by our committee and Congress of a third intelligence authorization bill in approximately 15 months. Critical congressional oversight and authorization for our vital intelligence programs have been restored and is producing better cooperation and information sharing than ever before. This bill funds the intelligence community's global counterterrorism efforts that have disrupted plots and led to successful operations against al Qaeda—including the mission that located and killed Osama bin Laden."

 

            "This bill aims to improve intelligence community operations and to ensure vigorous congressional oversight," said Chambliss. "It makes targeted cuts to eliminate waste and excess while preserving the critical work of the intelligence community—from counterterrorism and counterproliferation to the war in Afghanistan. We included several detainee-related provisions that increase oversight of Guantanamo transfers and improve detainee monitoring. As the Guantanamo recidivism rate rises to more than 27 percent, Congress needs full insight into the transfer and resettlement process."

 

            Summary of the FY2012 Intelligence Authorization Act:

 

·         Funds the intelligence community's counterterrorism efforts that have helped disrupt plots and led to successful operations against the al Qaeda terrorist group, including the mission that located and killed Osama bin Laden;

 

·         Supports intelligence activities and support for the war in Afghanistan;

 

·         Sustains critical intelligence spending while imposing fiscal discipline in light of future budget reductions;

 

·         Provides for equitable reimbursement of burial expenses for civilian intelligence employees killed in the line of duty at the same level as members of the U.S. military;

 

·         Provides intelligence agencies with new procurement authorities to protect against supply-chain risk to information technologies;

 

·         Authorizes new accounts at the Department of Treasury necessary for defense intelligence agencies to become financially auditable;

 

·         Strengthens congressional oversight relating to the transfer of detainees from Guantanamo Bay;

 

·         Improves the accuracy of intelligence community cost estimates by requiring that all program costs—rather than solely direct acquisition costs—are included; and

 

·         Provides the Director of National Intelligence with needed personnel management authorities.