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A Summary Of The Homeland Security Act Of 2002

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A Summary of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 ASCI 254 12/12/14 Ryan Hoffman Abstract The Homeland Security Act of 2002 is a far-reaching act of legislation that was created in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. The bill was sponsored by Richard Armey of Texas and received final congressional approval on November 19th, 2002, and signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 25th, 2002. The Homeland Security Act was one of the largest government responses to the terrorist attacks on 9/11, creating an entirely new department, the Department of Homeland Security under the Executive Branch. The Act also created hundreds of new positions within already existing government departments. The act has been amended a multitude of times since its original passage and over two different Presidential Administrations. Many citizens are still split on the decision whether or not the Homeland Security Act has helped make Americans safer, or if it was the beginning of many government intrusions of citizen’s privacy. Either way, it is an act of legislation that is here to stay, and as citizens it is important to understand it and how it affects the lives of American citizens. In the wake of September 11th, 2001, Americans both young and old were in desperate need for answers: Who did this? Why did they do this? How could this happen? The most important question, though, was: How do we prevent this from happening again? Then

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