Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2007

Most of the details involving spending and programs included in intelligence authorization bills is classified, and therefore not available to the general public. The Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2007 would authorize spending for the 13 intelligence organizations and set personnel ceilings for the intelligence agencies.

Senate
In the bill, the president and Congress were directed to publicly disclose each fiscal year after FY 2007 the amounts of funds appropriated to the Intelligence Community Management Account of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The DNI would be required to report to Congress on the advisability of such a disclosure. Before the passage of the bill, the appropriate committees of Congress were notified of intelligence activities of the U.S. government. Covert actions were included. The bill required that each individual member of the intelligence committees also be informed. If not notified, the DNI would need to notify the committee members with an explanation. In the bill, the DNI was authorized to use funds and resources to “direct the development, deployment, and utilization of systems related to the collection, processing, analysis, and dissemination of intelligence information.” He could transfer funds to areas of critical gaps in information sharing and access. The information, its protection and dissemination, would be the responsibility of the DNI. The DNI was further authorized to establish an office of "inspector general" regarding intelligence matters, appoint a chief information officer and to make other key appointments. The bill authorized a National Space Center Intelligence Center, including coordinating and providing policy direction for managing space assets and space intelligence. The mission would be to prioritize collection activities, provide policy directions and assure against threats to breaches in classified space intelligence. CIA and National Security Agency agents would be authorized to make arrests without a warrant providing the event is in the agent’s presence and is against the U.S. or if the agent had reason to believe the person has or is committing a felony.



A motion to move to invoke cloture on the bill (S.372), sponsored by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), passed in the Senate on April 12, 2007, 94-3.



A motion to invoke cloture, however, was rejected 50-45 on April 18, 2007.



External resources

 * TheWeekInCongress

External articles

 * Mark Mazzetti, "Bush Allies in Congress Block Bill That Would Require Intelligence Disclosures," New York Times, April 17, 2007. re Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.)