The House recently voted to pass a bill sponsored by Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.) that would streamline information sharing between federal intelligence agencies on weapons of mass destruction.
Meehan’s WMD Intelligence and Information Sharing Act would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish weapons of mass destruction intelligence and information sharing functions. It would also require dissemination of information analyzed by the Department of Homeland Security to entities with responsibilities relating to homeland security.
Meehan, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Security Technologies, said his bill would also ease the communication of data regarding threats to law enforcement.
“The Boston Marathon attacks showed the need for better intelligence sharing between federal and local authorities,” Meehan said. “And given the threat of an attack from terror groups with access to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials, the stakes are too high to not do all we can to ensure effective information sharing.”
The proposed bill passed in a 388-3 vote.
‘By streamlining communication, this bill can help prevent future attacks from foreign or home-grown threats,” Meehan said. “In fact, the potential for home-grown radicalization has increased the need for law enforcement and federal authorities to work together. The attack on Boston this spring proved this.”