Johnson wants to form federal counterterrorism commission

U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), a member of the committee, introduced bipartisan legislation to establish a federal commission to reevaluate counterterrorism information sharing and the ability of federal, state, and local law enforcement to identify, track, and prevent all terrorist threats in the U.S.

“The timely sharing of terrorist threat information is a critical part of defending the homeland,” Johnson said. “It is not only important that information is shared between federal agencies, but also with state and local partners to help ensure all law enforcement resources are effectively utilized to keep us safe. In light of the grave consequences of mistake or failure, a review of this kind is long overdue.”

“Eighteen years after 9/11, it’s time that we reevaluate counterterrorism information sharing efforts at all levels of government and address any gaps,” Hassan said. “Critically, this new commission would focus on both domestic and internationally inspired homegrown terrorism, and would also include the input of state and local law enforcement who play an invaluable role in our counterterrorism efforts.”

The commission would convene representatives from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Department of Justice, as well as state and local law enforcement, to review how terrorist threat information – relating to both domestic and internationally inspired terrorism in the U.S. – is shared between federal agencies and with all levels of government.