Norton Commemorates 9/11 With Openness Bill And Hearing On Lax And Unprofessional Security At Federal Buildings

Press Release

On the eve of the eighth anniversary of 9/11 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced the United States Commission on an Open Society with Security Act to ensure a balance of openness and access, particularly to federal facilities funded by taxpayers, while maintaining and increasing security against threats posed by global and domestic terrorism. Norton began working on the Open Society with Security Act after Pennsylvania Avenue was closed when ugly barriers first began to emerge here well before September 11, 2001. She introduced the bill today also because she plans to move the bill after her upcoming September 22 hearing on federal building security.

Norton said, "Federal building security has little to do with threats today. The General Accounting Office was recently able to get bomb-making equipment past security at several federal buildings. However, tax-paying citizens are unable to enter some buildings to use the restrooms or use restaurant facilities." She said the security in federal buildings is not uniform, professional or appropriately in the hands of the Federal Protective Service. Non-security personnel control security for that agency. However, the Congresswoman's bill relates broadly to the necessary balance by establishing a presidential commission of experts from a broad spectrum of disciplines to investigate how to maintain democratic traditions of openness and access while responding adequately to the substantial security threats posed by global terrorism. "The need for a presidential commission has grown more urgent with the proliferation of increasing varieties of security-from make-work checkpoints that were posted in the streets, even when there were no alerts, to the use of technology without regard to effects on privacy."

Norton began working on the complexities of openness and security when the first signs of closing parts of the United States appeared after the Oklahoma City bombing tragedy, well before 9/11. She said the urgency has grown greater with increasing varieties of security throughout the country, particularly in the nation's capital which has many more federal facilities. "The proliferation of security without any thought of the effect on common freedoms and ordinary access, and without any guidance from the government or elsewhere is unprofessional and out of hand," Norton said.

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