[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 21]
[House]
[Pages 29212-29213]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   GUIDELINES AND REQUIREMENTS IN SUPPORT OF THE INFORMATION SHARING 
 ENVIRONMENT--MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (H. DOC. 
                              NO. 109-76)

  The SPEAKER pro tempore laid before the House the following message 
from the President of the United States; which was read and, together 
with the accompanying papers, without objection, referred to the 
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and ordered to be printed:
To the Congress of the United States:
  The robust and effective sharing of terrorism information is vital to 
protecting Americans and the Homeland from terrorist attacks. To ensure 
that we succeed in this mission, my Administration is working to 
implement the Information Sharing Environment (ISE) called for by 
section 1016 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 
2004 (IRTPA). The ISE is intended to enable the Federal Government and 
our State, local, tribal, and private sector partners to share 
appropriate information relating to terrorists, their threats, plans, 
networks, supporters, and capabilities while, at the same time, 
respecting the information privacy and other legal rights of all 
Americans.
  Today, I issued a set of guidelines and requirements that represent a 
significant step in the establishment of the ISE. These guidelines and 
requirements, which are consistent with the provisions of section 
1016(d) of IRTPA, are set forth in a memorandum to the heads of 
executive departments and agencies. The guidelines and requirements 
also address collateral issues that are essential to any meaningful 
progress on information sharing. In sum, these guidelines will:
  Clarify roles and authorities across executive departments and 
agencies;
  Implement common standards and architectures to further facilitate

[[Page 29213]]

timely and effective information sharing;
  Improve the Federal Government's terrorism information sharing 
relationships with State, local, and tribal governments, the private 
sector, and foreign allies;
  Revamp antiquated classification and marking systems, as they relate 
to sensitive but unclassified information;
  Ensure that information privacy and other legal rights of Americans 
are protected in the development and implementation of the ISE; and
  Ensure that departments and agencies promote a culture of information 
sharing by assigning personnel and dedicating resources to terrorism 
information sharing.
  The guidelines build on the strong commitment that my Administration 
and the Congress have already made to strengthening information 
sharing, as evidenced by Executive Orders 13311 of July 27, 2003, and 
13388 of October 25, 2005, section 892 of the Homeland Security Act of 
2002, the USA PATRIOT Act, and sections 1011 and 1016 of the IRTPA. 
While much work has been done by executive departments and agencies, 
more is required to fully develop and implement the ISE.
  To lead this national effort, I designated the Program Manager (PM) 
responsible for information sharing across the Federal Government, and 
directed that the PM and his office be part of the Office of the 
Director of National Intelligence (DNI), and that the DNI exercise 
authority, direction, and control over the PM and ensure that the PM 
carries out his responsibilities under section 1016 of IRTPA. I fully 
support the efforts of the PM and the Information Sharing Council to 
transform our current capabilities into the desired ISE, and I have 
directed all heads of executive departments and agencies to support the 
PM and the DNI to meet our stated objectives.
  Creating the ISE is a difficult and complex task that will require a 
sustained effort and strong partnership with the Congress. I know that 
you share my commitment to achieve the goal of providing decision 
makers and the men and women on the front lines in the War on Terror 
with the best possible information to protect our Nation. I appreciate 
your support to date and look forward to working with you in the months 
ahead on this critical initiative.
                                                      George W. Bush.  
The White House, December 16, 2005.

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