Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2008

Bill: 110-s-1644
Sponsor: Sen. Byrd, Robert C. [D-WV]
Introduced: 2007-06-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Agriculture and Food
Air cargo
Airline passenger traffic
Alabama
Appropriations
Armed Forces and National Security
Armed forces reserves
Auditing
Aviation safety
Border patrols
Bridges
Canada
Capital investments
Charities
Chemical industries
Chemicals
Child pornography
Citizenship
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Coast guard
Commerce
Congress
Congressional investigations
Congressional oversight
Congressional reporting requirements
Crime and Law Enforcement
Customs administration
Data banks
Department of Homeland Security
Disaster insurance
Disaster loans
Disaster relief
Earthquakes
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Elementary and secondary education
Emergency housing
Employee training
Environmental Protection
Evacuation of civilians
Explosives
Families
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal aid to education
Federal aid to law enforcement
Federal aid to transportation
Federal employees
Federal law enforcement officers
Federal-local relations
Federal-state relations
Finance and Financial Sector
Fire fighters
Fire prevention
Floods
Food relief
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Government Operations and Politics
Government lending
Government procurement
Government trust funds
Harbors
Health
Hours of labor
Housing and Community Development
Hurricanes
Illegal aliens
Immigrants
Immigration
Information technology
Informers
Infrastructure
Infrastructure (Economics)
Inspectors general
Labor and Employment
Latin America
Law
Liability for environmental damages
Louisiana
Maps
Marine safety
Marine terminals
Mass rapid transit
Mexico
Military pensions
Mississippi
Motor buses
Nuclear terrorism
Oil pollution
Patrol aircraft
Patrol ships
Pennsylvania
Police training
Railroad freight operations
Railroad passenger traffic
Railroad safety
Reprogramming of appropriated funds
Rescission of appropriated funds
Rescue work
Research and development
Retiree health benefits
Right of privacy
Risk
Science, Technology, Communications
Secret service
Smuggling
Social Welfare
Strategic planning
Survivors' benefits
Tax-exempt organizations
Taxation
Terrorism
Transportation and Public Works
Transportation safety
Trucking
Urban affairs
Urban areas
User charges
Wages
Water Resources Development
West Virginia
Western Hemisphere

Summary:
action_date: 2007-06-18
text: 
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2008 - Makes appropriations for FY2008 for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for various offices for departmental management and operations, including for the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding and the Office of Inspector General.
 
Makes appropriations for security, enforcement, and investigations for various agencies, including for Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Air Marshals, the Coast Guard, and the Secret Service.
 
Makes appropriations for protection, preparedness, response, and recovery for various agencies, including for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state and local programs for terrorism prevention, firefighter assistance grants, emergency management performance grants, the radiological emergency preparedness program, the U.S. Fire Administration, and for disaster assistance and flood-related activities. Sets restrictions on the obligation of funds for the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US VISIT). 
 
Makes appropriations for research and development, training, and services for various agencies, including for Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, and the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office. 
 
Specifies certain uses and limits on or prohibitions against the use of funds appropriated by this Act, including restrictions on obligations for deployment or implementation (on other than a test basis) for the Secure Flight program or any other follow on or successor passenger prescreening program. Directs the Secretary of DHS to research, develop, and procure new technologies to inspect and screen air cargo carried on passenger aircraft.

action_date: 2007-06-18
text: 
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2008 - 
Title I: Department of Homeland Security Departmental Management and Operations 
- Makes appropriations for FY2008 for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the Offices of the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Under Secretary for Management, the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Information Officer, the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding, and the Inspector General.

Title II: Security, Enforcement, and Investigations
 - Makes appropriations for: (1) Customs and Border Protection (CBP), including for border security fencing, infrastructure, and technology, air and marine interdiction, maintenance, procurement, and construction; (2) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including for the Federal Protective Service; (3) the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), including for transportation threat assessment and credentialing and the Federal Air Marshals; (4) the Coast Guard, including for environmental compliance and restoration, reserve training, acquisition, construction, and improvements, and retired pay; and (5) the Secret Service.

Title III: Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery 
- Makes appropriations for: (1) the National Protection and Programs Directorate; (2) the Office of Health Affairs; and (3) the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), including for state and local programs for terrorism prevention, firefighter assistance grants, emergency management performance grants, the radiological emergency preparedness program, the U.S. Fire Administration, and disaster assistance and flood-related activities and funds. Sets restrictions on the obligation of funds for the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (U.S.-VISIT). 

Title IV: Research and Development, Training, and Services 
- Makes appropriations for citizenship and immigration services (CIS), the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, the Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, and the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office. 

Title V: General Provisions 
- (Sec. 501) Sets forth prohibitions and restrictions on funds provided under this Act, including with respect to availability, reorganization authority, reprogramming, intelligence activities, federal law enforcement training, protection of agency heads, and Coast Guard operations. 

(Sec. 507) Designates the Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation Board to lead the federal law enforcement training accreditation process.

(Sec. 510) Requires the Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to schedule basic or advanced law enforcement training at all four training facilities under the Center's control to ensure that these centers are operated at the highest capacity. 

(Sec. 513) Prohibits: (1) the obligation of funds for deployment or implementation of the Secure Flight program or other passenger prescreening program, on other than a test basis, until the Secretary of Homeland Security has certified and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has reported that specified requirements have been met; and (2) the use, during the testing phase, of information gathered from passengers, foreign or domestic air carriers, or reservation systems to screen aviation passengers or to delay or deny boarding, except where passenger names are matched to a government watch list.

(Sec. 514) Prohibits the funds made available in this Act from being used to amend the oath of allegiance required by the Immigration and Nationality Act.

(Sec. 515) Prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to process or approve a competition under Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-76 for services provided as of June 1, 2004, by employees of CIS who are known as Immigration Information Officers, Contact Representatives, or Investigative Assistants. 

(Sec. 517) Directs the Secretary to research, develop, and procure new technologies to inspect and screen air cargo carried on passenger aircraft at the earliest date possible. Requires existing checked baggage explosive detection equipment and screeners to be used to screen air cargo carried on such aircraft to the greatest extent practicable at each airport until the new technologies are available. Requires TSA to report to the Appropriations Committees on air cargo inspection statistics by airport and air carrier.

(Sec. 525) Requires: (1) FEMA to submit a quarterly report to the Appropriations Committees detailing the allocation and obligation of funds for disaster relief; and (2) the Secretary, at least quarterly, to obtain and report to those committees on actual obligation and expenditure data of agencies performing mission assignments.

(Sec. 530) Amends the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to extend the date for implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

(Sec. 531) Amends the DHS Appropriations Act, 2007 to allow a state or political subdivision to adopt or enforce a regulation, requirement, or standard of performance regarding chemical facility security that is more stringent than the federal standard, unless there is an actual conflict.

(Sec. 534) Permits the transfer of specified funds from prior year balances currently available to TSA for the Secure Flight program.

(Sec. 535) Provides specified disaster assistance for schools damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-06-18
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 204.
action_date: 2007-06-18
text: Committee on Appropriations. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Byrd. With written report No. 110-84.
action_date: 2007-06-18
text: Committee on Appropriations. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Byrd. With written report No. 110-84.
action_date: 2007-06-18
text: Introduced in Senate