Read a summary of how the $40 billion 2009 budget for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will be allocated. First responders and ports are set to receive $4.2 billion.

A new Motorola survey says consumers rank drug trafficking and drug possession as their number one public-safety concern.

A new benchmark study sponsored by the Security Executive Council collected information on international security programs. Security leaders can use it to compare and improve their programs. Read a summary report of the first-stage findings online.

Internal threats are a major organizational risk. A new online encyclopedia makes IT managers’ lives easier by listing applications, grading their severity of risk, and explaining what systems they affect.

Next year, the University of Maryland will integrate multiple databases to provide one database for terrorist incidents from 1970 to 2007. Researchers and government employees can now access online two databases that cover incidents from 1970 to 1997 and 1998 to 2004 until the new database is ready.

Consumers are getting jitters over sharing personal information with retailers. More than half of Canadians surveyed resist automatically providing personal information such as their name, address, and phone number when asked by retailers, according to a Canadian government report.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General has criticized the Transportation Security Administration’s controls of employee badges, uniforms, and identification cards. The report identifies widespread fear that unauthorized personnel could get access to secure areas of an airport.

Two U.S. laboratories that handle the world’s deadliest germs do not have proper perimeter security controls, according to the Government Accountability Office. In one instance, an unidentified individual entered one of the facilities through its unguarded loading dock.

The House of Lords recently dropped from its new counterterrorism bill a provision that would have let the government hold terrorism suspects for 42 days before charging them. The current limit is 28 days. Read the legislation online.

The FBI and the retail industry have joined together to form the Law Enforcement Retail Partnership Network (LERPnet) to fight organized retail theft. LERPnet allows retailers to report and to share information with each other and the FBI in a secure and confidential manner. Check it out here.

A bill broadening the scope of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law (P.L. 110-325). Under the bill, key provisions of the ADA will be clarified. For example, current law provides that a person is considered disabled if an impairment substantially limits a major life activity.

An amendment introduced by Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) to improve oversight of the FBI National Name Check Program was included in the 2007 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security, which was signed into law (P.L. 110-161).
The law is designed to make the program, under which the government conducts background checks on its employees and on anyone applying for immigration benefits, more efficient.

A law (P.L. 110-218) designed to increase courthouse security requires that the U.S. Marshals Service offer ongoing security advice to the judiciary. It authorizes additional funding to hire marshals to protect courthouses.

A law (P.L. 110-233) expands the prohibition against genetic discrimination by group health plans and health insurance providers. The law also makes it illegal to request or require genetic testing for enrollment in an insurance plan or to base premiums on genetic testing.

A new law (P.L. 110-356) prohibits a company that is owned, controlled, or operated by anyone convicted of a felony from providing contract security guard services for federal government buildings.

In response to the Virginia Tech shootings, the President signed a bill into law (P.L. 110-180) that would require all states to submit information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). According to lawmakers, the measure was necessary because not all states submit complete information. For example, not all states enter the records of those deemed mentally defective into the NICS system.

A measure designed to track the use of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant money was included in the DHS appropriations bill for 2008, which became law (P.L. 110-161). The provision requires that homeland security grant recipients submit quarterly reports describing the nature and amount of each expenditure made using grant funds. This information will be published and made available to the public on the DHS Web site.

A bill providing funding for site security at some federal facilities has been included in a 2008 appropriations bill funding the Department of the Interior. The bill became P.L. 110-229. The law will allocate money to facilities operated by the Bureau of Reclamation to hire more security officers and to purchase equipment needed by those officers

A new law (P.L. 110-53) implemented the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission that were not enacted in the prior Congress. Under the law, homeland security grants are to be allocated based on risk assessments undertaken by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Mitigating factors such as a large commuting population or tourist attractions can also affect grant allocation.

Congress approved a law (P.L. 110-160) reauthorizing the government-based terrorism insurance program for seven more years. Under the law, the terrorism insurance program, which was slated to expire at the end of 2008, will be extended until the end of 2015. A study of how to move terrorism insurance into the private market had concluded that private terrorism insurance was highly unlikely in the foreseeable future and that the government program was the only way to provide such insurance.

A bill (S. 2168) that would increase penalties for identity theft and fraud was included in another bill (H.R. 5938) designed to provide security details for U.S. vice presidents. That measure became P.L. 110-326. The law allows consumers to sue identity thieves and recover damages based on the time and money spent recovering from the theft. The measure would also make it a felony to use spyware or keyloggers to damage 10 or more computers regardless of the amount of damage caused by the hacker.

A law (P.L. 110-432) designed to improve railroad safety will reduce stress on workers by decreasing overall work hours and increasing the amount of time off between shifts. The measure also provides whistleblower protections for those employees who cooperate with a safety investigation, furnish rail accident information, or refuse to authorize the use of safety equipment, tracks, or structures that are in a hazardous condition. Employees will be entitled to damages if subjected to mistreatment because of their whistleblower activity. Those guilty of safety violations under the bill would face criminal penalties.

A new law (P.L. 110-322) amends the Federal Rules of Evidence, altering when and how information is covered by attorney-client privilege. Under the new law, if a disclosure is made in a federal proceeding or to a federal office or agency, and the owner of the information waives attorney-client privilege or work-product protection, the waiver extends to undisclosed communication or information in a federal or state proceeding under certain circumstances.

Data security comprises 10 percent of IT operating budgets in 2008, compared to 8 percent in 2007, according to Forrester Research. The increase stems mainly from growing data breach concerns.