Senate Gets Legislation on Sept. 11 Panel's Reforms

[papau]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-intel8sep08.story
THE NATION
Senate Gets Legislation on Sept. 11 Panel's Reforms
By Maura Reynolds
Times Staff Writer

September 8, 2004

WASHINGTON — The Republican and Democratic senators who proposed establishing the independent Sept. 11 commission introduced legislation Tuesday to implement the commission's suggested reforms.

The proposed legislation — one of several measures expected to address intelligence reform — adheres closely to the 41 recommendations of the commission, which released its report in late July.

The legislation by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) contains two major reforms: creation of a national intelligence director to oversee the government's 15 intelligence agencies and establishment of a national counterterrorism center to act as a clearinghouse for intelligence related to terrorism.

Since the Sept. 11 commission's report was released, Congress has held more than a dozen hearings on the proposals, even during its summer recess.

"Nothing else we have to do is more important than getting the most important parts of this commission proposal adopted," Lieberman said at a news conference. <snip>

"This is not an obscure, complex piece of legislation," McCain said. "I can't believe it would require a long, drawn-out conference." <snip>