The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS” mentioning the Department of Interior was published in the Senate section on pages S12056-S12058 on Nov. 27, 2001.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. HATCH:
S. 1734. A bill to require a transfer of jurisdiction for development of an Armed Forces recreation facility, Park City, Utah; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Mr. HATCH. Madam President, today I introduce a bill that requires a transfer of jurisdiction for development of an Armed Forces recreation facility in Park City, UT. This bill would enable the Secretary of the Interior to transfer, without reimbursement, a parcel of real property in Park City to the Secretary of the Air Force. The Air Force will use this property as the location for an Armed Forces recreation facility.
I can think of no better use for this beautiful land in Utah than to support the military men and women who are serving our country. The bill I introduce today is the culmination of several months of careful coordination between the Department of Interior and the Department of Defense to make certain that the transfer is accomplished within all applicable laws, policies, and regulations. Given the tremendous challenges our nation's service members face at this time, I am proud to introduce this bill which will contribute much to the morale, recreation, and welfare of our service members. I hope that we can secure quick passage of this important legislation.
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By Mr. BIDEN (for himself and Mr. Lugar):
S. 1735. A bill to establish a National Commission on Threats to the Homeland and United States National Security; to the Committee on Armed Services.
Mr. BIDEN. Madam President, today I am pleased to join Senator Lugar in introducing legislation to create the National Commission on Threats to the Homeland and United States National Security.
Two months ago, in barbaric attacks in New York and Washington that we will never forget, the world changed before our eyes. In an instant, the fight against terrorism became our top national security priority. That new reality requires us to undertake a thorough review of our national security priorities. That effort is underway across the executive branch and in several committees of Congress. President Bush acted decisively to create the Office of Homeland Security and in naming Governor Ridge to be its head. Congress acted quickly to tighten aviation security and to give federal law enforcement new tools to counter terrorism.
These measures are just initial steps in what will surely be a major reorientation of the ship of state. As we begin to reorient our government, I believe we must engage in a thorough assessment of the range of threats that we face and the priorities which we should accord such threats in our national security strategy.
Terrorism is undoubtedly the major threat to the United States. In that regard, we must have a full understanding of the types of terrorist threats we face and of their relative probability. This week, the continuous reports of anthrax being discovered in various parts of the country, including here in the Senate, have focused the country on the threat of bioterrorism.
Unfortunately, this is not the only threat we face. Terrorists proved their deadly ability to turn airplanes into weapons of mass destruction. They have used truck and car bombs in the past. And we know that terrorist organizations are seeking materials necessary for the production of chemical or nuclear weapons. What we need to know is the priority we should accord those threats. That is the purpose of this proposed commission.
There are, to be sure, other threats that remain to our territory and to our national security interests. Russian weapons of mass destruction stockpiles and expertise pose the risk of accidental war or of proliferation to rogue states and terrorist groups. Ballistic missiles in developing countries can threaten U.S. forces overseas and could someday threaten our homeland. And international narcotics trafficking continues to threaten many countries, including ours. Terrorism is not the only threat. But after September 11 it is clearly the preeminent threat.
The proposed National Commission on Threats to the Homeland and United States National Security will not seek to reinvent the wheel. Rather, it would build on the work of several recent blue-ribbon commissions which have assessed various threats, both collectively and individually, to U.S. national security.
In seeking the creation of this new commission, neither Senator Lugar nor I wish to discredit this earlier work and the ideas that flowed from it. Instead, we seek to use that work as a foundation in constructing a comprehensive threat assessment and a resulting U.S. national security strategy. It is therefore instructive to quickly review the major findings of some of these earlier commissions and hearings.
Perhaps the best-known is the U.S. Commission on National Security/
21st Century, better known as the Hart-Rudman Commission after its two cochairs, former Senators Gary Hart and Warren Rudman. In its final report, issued in 2001, the Hart-Rudman Commission offered a chilling prediction borne out only months later: ``States, terrorists, and other disaffected groups will acquire weapons of mass destruction and mass disruption, and some will use them. Americans will likely die on American soil, possibly in large numbers.'' The Hart-Rudman Commission urged making the security of the American homeland the primary national security mission of the U.S. government and called for the creation of a National Homeland Security Agency to coordinate these efforts.
Two commissions have focused on the specific threat of international terrorism and dealing with the consequences of a terrorist attack with a weapon of mass destruction, WMD.
The National Commission on Terrorism, chaired by Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, recommended a series of measures to expand the authorities of U.S. intelligence and law enforcement, steps now under consideration in the anti-terrorism legislation before Congress. It also urged the United States to use all the instruments at its disposal, diplomatic, financial, economic, and military, in targeting states that sponsor international terrorism.
The Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction, better known as the Gilmore Commission after its chair, Virginia Governor James Gilmore, focused on the need to develop a national strategy of domestic preparedness to respond to any act of WMD terrorism. This commission also called for the creation of a central office within the White House to coordinate federal efforts, which closely resembles what President Bush has decided to do in appointing Governor Ridge to a new ``homeland czar'' position.
The Russia Task Force of the Secretary of Energy's Advisory Board, better known as ``the Baker-Cutler Task Force'' after its co-chairs, former Senator Howard Baker and former White House Counsel Lloyd Cutler, looked at the particular threat posed by unsecured nuclear weapons and fissile material in the former Soviet Union. This task force declared the deteriorating situation as ``the most urgent unmet national security threat facing the United States today'' and called for spending approximately $30 billion over the next 8 to 10 years to adequately secure these weapons and related materials.
Finally, with the emergence of several anthrax cases in several locations in the United States, the threat has become all too real. The Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing on this subject the week before the September 11 attacks. Former Senator Sam Nunn, now heading the Nuclear Threat Initiative, Dr. D.A. Henderson, the architect of the international campaign to eradicate smallpox in the 1970s, and other experts testified on the nature of the threat and what we can do in response. As they made clear, a mass destruction bioterrorism attack is a low-probability event with high consequences. The right answer is not panic, but rather the foresight to implement a set of commonsense measures to strengthen our public health system, including our emergency care capabilities and our vaccine stockpiles, to handle a bioterrorist attack if and when it occurs.
The Commission that we envision would, I repeat, build on the fine work done by the foregoing panels. It would assess the current threat, in light of the attacks on September 11, and in light of the assessments and analyses performed by government agencies and the panels I have just discussed. The commission would be a small group, just six distinguished Americans with experience at the highest levels of national security, law enforcement, and public safety. It is my hope that the commissioners chosen for this task would include former cabinet secretaries, and even former Presidents.
The bill we introduce requires two reports, an interim report to be produced within 180 days of enactment of the legislation and a final report to be produced by September 11, 2002, one year after the attacks on our country. The reports should provide a roadmap for our national security strategy, what the major threats are, the likelihood such threats will result in attacks on the United States, the potential damage to the United States or U.S. interests, and the current U.S. capabilities to counter and respond to such threats. From this assessment we can build a national security strategy for the coming decades.
I appreciate the support and assistance of the Senator from Indiana in developing this legislation. I urge my colleagues to support it.
I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection,the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 1735
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT.
There is established the National Commission on Threats to the Homeland and United States National Security (in this Act referred to as the ``Commission'').
SEC. 2. COMPOSITION.
(a) In General.--The Commission shall be composed of six members, as follows:
(1) Two members appointed by the President, not more than one of whom shall be appointed from the same political party.
(2) One member appointed by the Majority Leader of the Senate.
(3) One member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate.
(4) One member appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
(5) One member appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
(b) Qualifications.--Members of the Commission shall be appointed from among distinguished Americans in private life who have served at the most senior levels of the Federal government, including the national security, law enforcement, and public safety agencies of the United States.
(c) Chairman.--The Commission shall elect a Chairman from among its members.
(d) Quorum.--A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum.
(e) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the Commission shall not affect its powers but shall be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made.
(f) Meetings.--After it initial meeting, the Commission shall meet upon the call of the Chairman or a majority of its members.
(g) Appointments Deadline.--It is the sense of Congress that members of the Commission should be appointed not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 3. PURPOSE.
(a) In General.--The Commission shall evaluate, in light of the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, the threats to the United States and to United States national security, in order to assist the Federal Government set priorities in the national budget, and in the organization of the relevant government departments, to address those threats.
(b) Particular Subjects for Review.--In particular, the Commission shall--
(1) provide a comprehensive assessment of the range of threats to the United States and to United States national security, taking into account analyses by United States agencies and nongovernmental entities that have recently reviewed relevant issues, such as the United States Commission on National Security/21st Century, the National Commission on Terrorism, the Department of Energy Russia Task Force, and the Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction; and
(2) make recommendations to the President and Congress on the priority that should be accorded to those threats in the United States national security strategy, taking into account--
(A) the likelihood such threats will result in attacks on the United States or important United States interests;
(B) the potential damage to the United States or important United States interests that would result from such attacks; and
(C) current United States capabilities to counter and respond to such threats.
SEC. 4. POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.
(a) Hearings.--The Commission or, at its direction, any panel or member of the Commission, may, for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Act, hold hearings, sit and act at times and places, take testimony, receive evidence, and administer oaths to the extent that the Commission or any panel or member considers advisable.
(b) Information From Federal Agencies.--The Commission may secure directly or from any Federal department or agency any information that the Commission considers necessary to enable the Commission to carry out its responsibilities under this section. Upon request of the Chairman of the Commission, the head of any such department or agency shall furnish such information expeditiously to the Commission.
(c) Postal, Printing and Binding Services.--The Commission may use the United States mails and obtain printing and binding services in the same manner and under the same conditions as other departments and agencies of the Federal Government. SEC. 5. STAFF OF THE COMMISSION.
(a) In General.--The Chairman of the Commission may, without regard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing appointments in the competitive service, appoint a staff director and such additional personnel as may be necessary to enable the Commission to perform its duties. The staff director of the Commission shall be appointed from private life, and such appointment shall be subject to the approval of the Commission as a whole.
(b) Compensation.--The Chairman of the Commission may fix the pay of the staff director and other personnel without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, relating to classification of positions and General Schedule pay rates, except that the rate of pay fixed under this paragraph for the staff director may not exceed the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such title and the rate of pay for other personnel may not exceed the maximum rate payable for grade GS-15 of the General Schedule.
(c) Detail of Government Employees.--Upon request of the Chairman of the Commission, the head of any Federal department or agency may detail, on a nonreimbursable basis, any personnel of that department or agency to the Commission to assist it in carrying out its administrative and clerical functions.
(d) Procurement of Temporary and Intermittent Services.--The Chairman of the Commission may procure temporary and intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, at rates for individuals which do not exceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay payable for level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such title.
(e) Administrative and Support Services.--The Administrator of General Services shall furnish the Commission, on a non-reimbursable basis, any administrative and support services requested by the Commission consistent with this Act.
SEC. 6. COMPENSATION AND TRAVEL EXPENSES.
(a) Compensation of Members.--Each member of the Commission may be compensated at not to exceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay payable for level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of title 5, United States Code, for each day (including travel time) during which the member is engaged in the actual performance of the duties of the Commission.
(b) Travel Expenses.--Each member of the Commission shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of services for the Commission.
SEC. 7. SECURITY CLEARANCES FOR COMMISSION MEMBERS AND
STAFF.
The appropriate departments, agencies, and other entities of the United States Government shall cooperate with the Commission in expeditiously providing to the Commission members and staff appropriate security clearances in a manner consistent with existing procedures and requirements, except that no person shall be provided with access to classified information under this section who would not otherwise qualify for such security clearance.
SEC. 8. REPORTS.
(a) Interim Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall submit an interim report to the President and the Congress describing its activities since the date of enactment of this Act.
(b) Final Report.--Not later than September 11, 2002, the Commission shall submit a final report to the President and the Congress describing its activities since the date of enactment of this Act, together with a summary of the comprehensive assessment and recommendations made by the Commission under section 3(b).
SEC. 9. FUNDING.
Notwithstanding the provisions of the Act of September 18, 2001 (Public Law 107-38), amounts appropriated by that Act shall be available to carry out the provisions of this Act.
SEC. 10. TERMINATION OF THE COMMISSION.
(a) In General.--The Commission shall terminate 60 days after the date of the submission of the final report required by section 8(b).
(b) Wind Up Activities.--The Commission may use the 60-day period referred to in subsection (a) for the purpose of concluding its activities, including providing testimony to congressional committees concerning its final report and disseminating that report.
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