{
  "id": "RL32023",
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      "date": "2008-01-29",
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      "title": "Homeland Security Advisory System: Possible Issues for Congressional Oversight",
      "summary": "The Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS), established on March 12, 2002, is a color-coded terrorist threat warning system administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The system, which federal departments and agencies are required to implement and use, provides recommended protective measures for federal departments and agencies to prevent, prepare for, mitigate against, and respond to terrorist attacks.\nDHS disseminates HSAS terrorist threat warnings to federal departments, state and local agencies, the public, and private-sector entities. DHS, however, only provides protective measures for federal departments. This dissemination of warnings is conducted through multiple communication systems and public announcements.\nHSAS has five threat levels: low, guarded, elevated, high, and severe. From March 2002 to the present, the HSAS threat level has been no lower than elevated, raised to high seven times, and raised to severe once. The first time it was raised to high was on September 10, 2002, due to the fear of terrorist attacks on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The most recent time it was raised to high was on July 7, 2005, due to terrorist bombings of the London mass transit systems. DHS raised the threat level for mass transit systems only. The only time HSAS has been raised to severe (red) was on August 10, 2006, due to a terrorist plan to bomb flights originating in the United Kingdom. DHS raised the threat level for the aviation sector only.\nIn the 109th Congress, the House of Representative\u2019s Committee on Government Reform\u2019s Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations held a hearing on the HSAS, its threat codes, and public response to it. This hearing focused on the information DHS issued the public the seven times the HSAS threat level was raised from \u201cyellow\u201d to \u201corange.\u201d\nWhile the need for terrorist threat warnings seems to be widely acknowledged, there are numerous issues associated with HSAS and its effects on states, localities, the public, and the private sector. These issues include the following:\nvagueness of warnings;\nlack of specific protective measures for state and local governments, the public, and the private sector;\ndissemination of warnings to states, localities, the public, and the private sector;\ncoordination of HSAS with other federal warning systems; and\ncost of threat level changes.\nThis report will be updated as congressional or executive actions warrant.",
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      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
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      "id": "RL32023_2005Jan11",
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      "id": "RL32023 2004-11-12",
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          "id": "National security - U.S.",
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      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc822187/",
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      "date": "2004-03-09",
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      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs4296/",
      "id": "RL32023 2003-08-06",
      "date": "2003-08-06",
      "retrieved": "2005-06-11T04:54:57",
      "title": "Homeland Security Advisory System: Possible Issues for Congressional Oversight",
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