Homeland Security measure garners Senate approval

The DHS Data Framework Act, which seeks to unify protective measures for the country’s information-sharing system, was recently advanced by the U.S. Senate.

“We live in an increasingly connected world and must be able to get the right information to the right people at the right time in order to keep terrorists on the run and off our shores,” said Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX), the bill’s author, who serves on the House Homeland Security and Intelligence Committees. “The DHS Data Framework Act does just that by allowing DHS to quickly and safely share sensitive information among law enforcement agencies without compromising our nation’s secrets. I applaud Sen. Maggie Hassan for introducing this bipartisan bill in the Senate and her colleagues for supporting this initiative to keep Americans safe.”

The legislation provides the basis for an effort at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop a data framework incorporating all DHS component agency data related to homeland security, terrorist information, weapons of mass destruction and national intelligence into one system.

The method alleviates the current process of searching and vetting information against multiple databases with different log-ins, passwords and legal restrictions.

The data framework arrangement will also be copied on a classified network to allow for more efficient classified analysis and vetting of law enforcement data against intelligence information.

The Senate version of the bill now heads to the House of Representatives for approval, after which it will be sent to the President’s desk for signature.