States that the House of Representatives recognizes the exemplary accomplishments and contributions of the Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction (also known as the Gilmore Commission) to improvements to the homeland security of the United States.
Urges Congress to: (1) implement the remaining recommendations by the Gilmore Commission, including the 20 additional recommendations made in its fifth annual report, "Forging America's New Normalcy: Securing Our Homeland, Protecting Our Liberty", published in December 2003; (2) establish an advisory panel to report to the President and Congress on the adequacy of State, local, and private sector entities to respond to terrorist, environmental, and accidental catastrophes and the coordination of the response of these entities with that of Federal agencies; and (3) establish an advisory panel to report to the President and Congress on deficiencies in protection of the Nation's critical infrastructures and strategies to protect those infrastructures.
Urges the President to establish an independent, bipartisan oversight board to provide counsel on the effects on civil liberties of homeland security efforts.