The U.S. Senate approved a measure Tuesday authorizing the creation of the Department of Homeland Security designed to protect the United States against terrorism.
The vote of 90-9 marks the beginning of the largest reorganization of the federal government in 50 years. The new homeland security agency will merge departments responsible for protecting the nation's borders, coastlines, airports, landmarks, utilities and other major facilities. The agency is expected to employ nearly 170,000 people.
The bill was passed a week after the passage of a nearly identical bill by the House.
Most Democrats said they agreed the bill was imperfect, citing special interest provisions added by Republicans, such as liabilty protection for pharmaceutical companies. Yet in a statement made by U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., on the senate floor during debate, he said creation of the department was supported by both parties.
\The desire to create a domestic agency capable of protecting Americans from terrorism is bipartisan'even universal,"" he said. ""Unfortunately, the creation of the bill to do that has been partisan and destructively political.""
President Bush will sign the bill as soon as lawmakers make minor changes between the Senate and the House versions of the bill. The bill will take effect 60 days after Bush signs it.
After the bill takes effect, the focus will be on combining nearly two dozen government agencies.
According to Gordon Baldwin, UW-Madison emeritus professor of law, this transition period will be tumultuous.
""It is going to take some time, months and probably years, as new people come in and old people retire, to mold the cultures of the different agencies together,"" he said.
Baldwin said although there are some current tensions in establishing the new cabinet, it will help to alleviate duplication of some current bureaucracies.
""It is a daunting task, but anything worth doing is worth doing and perhaps even worth doing badly,"" he said.
The overwhelming vote of 90-9 left eight democrats and U.S. Sen. Jim Jeffords, I-Vt., who voted against the bill at a loss.
U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., said in a statement he was worried the bill goes too far in violating American civil liberties.
""While this reorganization may make sense, it should not have come at the expense of unnecessarily undermining our privacy rights or weakening protections against unwarranted government intrusion into the lives of ordinary American citizens,"" he said.
UW-Madison political science Professor Donald Downs said the passing of the bill showed the power the Republicans now hold.
""It shows the power Republicans now have from the election. This is even before they have new members in there,"" he said. ""It gives the president more flexibility and he got what he wanted.""
According to Downs, the violation of civil liberties is still an issue and it is up to the government to strike a balance between protection from terrorism and protection of civil liberties.
""The real problem is that the law and the courts are starting to give the government more power in this area in general, making it easier to spy on people,"" he said. ""That is something that we definitely have to be on guard about.\
