Senate passes purchasing bill

The Senate has passed legislation to open to state and local governments the General Services Administration's contract for homeland security and law enforcement products and services.

The Local Preparedness Acquisition Act would open GSA’s Schedule 84 contract for cooperative purchasing agreements.

Read the story: FCW.com News - Senate passes purchasing bill

Democrats put spotlight on data mining

As expected, Democrats are delving into the Bush administration’s programs and peeling back the covers.

On Jan. 10, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s first hearing of the new Congress looked at the executive branch’s use of data-mining programs. In his opening statement, committee chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) vowed more investigations into the administration’s privacy initiatives.

Leahy said the government has dramatically increased its collection and monitoring of sensitive personal data from the public.

Read the rest of the story: FCW.com News - Democrats put spotlight on data mining