What is the purpose of the section of the amendment dealing with emergency disclosure of classified information?
One of the issues that arose in the wake of 9/11 was awareness of the limitations imposed by the lack of authority under E.O. 12958 to pass classified information to persons not otherwise eligible (e.g. local and state authorities) in an emergency. As a result, a section has been added specifically authorizing an agency head or designated person to share classified information with individuals not otherwise eligible to receive it and specifying procedures to be followed. This is especially important in the context of homeland security.
