[2] The IRTPA requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to take over the conducting of pre-flight comparisons of airline passenger information to Federal Government watch lists for international and domestic flights.

[3] The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 was originally introduced in the Senate in response to the findings of the 9/11 Commission.

Appointed conferees from both chambers met to negotiate the two versions of the bill, but discussions broke down over the budgetary authority of the DNI.

The conference lasted for weeks with no progress until Senators Collins and Lieberman proposed language—in particular, the word "abrogate"—that softened the DNI's budgetary powers, to which House conferees agreed.

Homeland Security is required to deploy biometric screening systems at airports to obtain biological information to be used to identify individual travelers.

Title V requires states to follow national standards for drivers license eligibility, requires visa applicants to be interviewed, offers provisions for immigrants who have received training from terrorist organizations to be deported, authorized an additional 10,000 border patrol agents to be added over five years, authorized the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor the Canadian border, and created 8,000 new beds in the Department of Homeland Security's detention center to house illegal aliens and terrorist suspects.

The law requires that terrorist subjects be denied bail and held in jail until their trial unless they can prove they are not dangerous or flight risks.

These include identification of terrorist sanctuaries, regulation of exports to state sponsors of terrorism and terrorist sanctuaries, U.S. support for democracy in Afghanistan and stability in Pakistan, strategic diplomatic efforts in Saudi Arabia, Muslim outreach, support of the UN Human Rights Commission, and free press promotion in the Muslim world Title VIII authorizes the DNI to establish a formal relationship between the intelligence community and the National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center, created the Office of Geospatial Management within the Department of Homeland Security, authorizes the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security to designate a senior staffer to manage civil rights and civil liberties cases for the department, requires the FBI to continually maintain and update enterprise and technology architecture and infrastructure, and requires the Office of Government ethics to submit financial disclosure reports to Congress.

The Pentagon camp, led by House Conferee Duncan Hunter, R-CA, was labeled "obstructionist" by supporters of the Senate version of the bill.

[9] Advocacy groups for families of the 9/11 victims blamed President Bush and House Republicans for the intelligence bill being stalled in Congress.

The Family Steering Committee released a statement saying they were "angry and saddened that the opportunity for significant reform of our country's intelligence structure has been squandered."

[10] Upon the IRTPA's passage in the Senate, President Bush released a statement calling it a historic piece of legislation that would defend America and help to protect its people from terrorism.

[11] The public response was also positive, particularly from the families of 9/11 victims who had supported the bill, however some members of Congress remained skeptical.