News briefs

The House Appropriations Committee's HomelandSecurity Subcommittee has approved a 6 percentincrease for the Homeland Security Department infiscal 2009 ? $2.3 billion more than the Bushadministration requested, said the committee'schairman, Rep. David Price (D-N.C.).Discretionary spending totals $39.9 billion in thebill. The Coast Guard's Deepwater asset modernizationprogram would get $933 million, about$57 million less than requested.The Arizona legislature has voted not to comply withthe Real ID Act of 2005, which requires states toadopt federal standards for handling personal informationfor driver's licenses and sharing drivers'information with other states.If passed, the law could conflict with the state'splan for a hybrid Arizona state driver's license andborder-crossing identification card.The General Services Administration wants its ownmentor-protégé program and is seeking public commenton the proposal.GSA wants to amend the General ServicesAcquisition Regulation to include the program.Public comments are due by Aug. 11.Inaccurate data, absent information and inconsistentrules are the result of muddled and confused managementof the Homeland Security Department'sacquisition workforce, according to a report by theDHS inspector general.The report pointed to discrepancies such as aDHS list with 1,506 contract personnel for threecomponents, yet the components listed 2,136 suchpersonnel.U.K. consulting firm AEA Technology plc will buyMcLean, Va.-based Project Performance Corp. for$65 million.PPC's information technology and data-managementskills and AEA's climate-change andenergy consulting services will constitute what AEAofficials called "a compelling proposition forgrowth."Michael Nigro, PPC's chief executive officer,will become chief operating officer and presidentof U.S. operations at the new 1,000-personfirm.The chairman of the House Homeland SecurityCommittee wants Homeland Security Departmentofficials to make sure contractors do their jobbefore the government pays them bonuses.Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) recently introduceda bill that would require DHS to pay a bonusunder a cost-plus-award-fee contract only when thecompany actually meets the specified outcomes inthe contract.Command Information Inc. bought privately heldIdealogica Inc., a provider of information securityservices based in Leesburg, Va. Financial termswere not disclosed.The acquisition will let Command Informationassure its customers "that their IPv6 enablementwould not compromise the security of their networks,"said Jerry Edgerton, chief executive officerat the Herndon, Va.-based company.DC Capital Partners LLC bought government trainingprovider Kaseman LLC to start a new companyfocused on training, security and logistics. Terms ofthe deal were not disclosed.Kaseman will be the base for a new company,Elite Training and Security LLC, to be based inChantilly, Va.Congress should revise privacy laws to ensure thatthe sensitive data the government collects and usesis appropriately protected, said Linda Koontz, directorof information management issues at theGovernment Accountability Office.Current laws and guidance have gaps and othershortcomings, Koontz told the Senate HomelandSecurity and Governmental Affairs Committee.A House appropriations bill in the works wouldblock use of the public/private competition systemfor a year and let the next president handle thecontroversial issue.The Office of Federal Procurement Policy said thesystem saves money ? $400 million over five years? but opponents question how government officialscalculate the savings.The Senate passed a bill that would require IPtelephony service providers to offer 911 servicesand create plans for a national, IP-based emergencyresponse network.Cell phone service and voice-over-IP providersalready provide 911 emergency call service andEnhanced 911 service, which provides the responderwith caller identity and location information.The House will likely take up a final version ofthe bill in the current session.The Homeland Security Department is preparing toaward a task order to Boeing Co. to install the firsttwo operational segments of the SBInet border surveillancesystem in Arizona.The task order has been pending for severalmonths while Boeing worked on an improved commonoperating picture for the system.Service robotics is one of the potentially most disruptivecivil technologies threatening U.S. securityin the next 15 years, according to a report by theNational Intelligence Council.The global market for nonindustrial robotics,already a part of civil and defense applications usingartificial intelligence and behavioral programming,could reach $15 billion by 2015, the report said.The Defense Department will remain the primarytarget for new satellite products and services,according to an annual satellite industry survey.Despite the focus on DOD, 5 percent of respondentssaid they will increase their solutions targetingthe Homeland Security Department and publicsafety and first responders.Under a proposed rule, 168,000 federal contractorsand subcontractors must enroll 3.8 million employeesin a system to verify job applicants' eligibility towork as U.S. citizens, legal permanent residentsand authorized immigrants.Federal contractors would pay most of the$550 million cost of implementing E-Verify over10 years, including $308 million for start-up andtraining costs, the notice in the Federal Register said.Public comments are due by Aug. 11.The House Homeland Security Committee is consideringa bill meant to provide more access to theHomeland Security Department's information andintelligence products.The measure would enhance public access togovernment documents and reduce the extent towhich DHS classifies documents.