After the November election, the House and Senate returned to Washington for a lame duck session, primarily in order to complete the federal budget. But in addition to the must-pass budget measure, House and Senate negotiators also hoped to reach agreement on the intelligence reform legislation that was based upon the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. In some of the last actions taken before the official close of the 108th Congress, the House and Senate approved the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. I was proud to be a member of the conference committee on this bill and strongly supported its passage. This historic legislation represents the most profound government reform to date for meeting the unique and daunting security challenges existing in this era of terror. The bill fundamentally overhauls the structure of our nation's intelligence community. It represents an important step in the improvement of our government's intelligence capabilities, while at the same time preserving our ability to ensure that our military personnel have the intelligence information they need to succeed on the battlefield. More broadly, this bill promises to advance our abilities in the global fight against terrorism. From my vantage point as the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, the intelligence reform conference report includes two major legislative achievements. First, the measure creates and empowers a new Director of National Intelligence, or DNI, to set the vision, direction, and priorities for the entire intelligence community. Second, the legislation maintains the sanctity of the military's "chain of command," so that the Secretary of Defense will have the necessary authorities to effectively manage intelligence assets and resources -- particularly tactical assets on the battlefield.

The 9/11 Commission pointed out that our nation's intelligence community has suffered from a failure in imagination, focus, and organization. This bill addresses these failures with a new organization, new authorities, and management flexibility. In addition to the new DNI, the bill authorizes the National Counter Terrorism Center, or NCTC, to improve analysis and operational planning across departments and at the highest levels of government. Other important changes in the bill are the information-sharing requirements across traditional bureaucratic barriers, or "stove-pipes." Such innovation has been suggested for years, and these provisions are long overdue.

The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act offers much promise to make our nation more secure. To do everything possible to protect the American people, we can no longer afford to delay these significant and necessary reforms.