Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003

The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 provided the necessary funding and legal framework for U.S. intelligence agencies, including the CIA and FBI, to operate during the year following the September 11 attacks. Most notably for the public, this law established the 9/11 Commission (the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States) to investigate the facts surrounding the attacks and recommend ways to prevent future threats.

The Act also focused on modernizing how the government handles information by creating the National Virtual Translation Center to improve foreign language analysis and establishing new requirements for federal agencies to share homeland security information with state and local law enforcement. Additionally, it created the National Counterintelligence Executive to better coordinate efforts against foreign spying and authorized scholarship programs to recruit more scientists, engineers, and linguists into national service.