[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 52 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 52

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
     grave danger of domestic terrorism and the need for improved 
 organization in the executive branch and Congress to deter, prevent, 
prepare for, and respond to the impending threat of domestic terrorism.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 14, 2001

  Mr. Watts of Oklahoma (for himself, Mr. Engel, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. 
      Calvert, Mr. Foley, Mr. Gekas, Mr. Riley, Ms. Granger, Mr. 
Frelinghuysen, Mr. Greenwood, Mrs. Bono, Mr. Bereuter, Ms. Jackson-Lee 
    of Texas, Mr. Weiner, and Mr. Davis of Illinois) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Government 
 Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
     grave danger of domestic terrorism and the need for improved 
 organization in the executive branch and Congress to deter, prevent, 
prepare for, and respond to the impending threat of domestic terrorism.

Whereas domestic terrorism poses a significant threat to the safety and security 
        of all citizens of the United States;
Whereas there is no Government entity that oversees and coordinates the more 
        than 40 executive agencies involved in deterring, preventing, preparing 
        for, and responding to terrorism;
Whereas the duty of Congress to oversee the activities of the executive branch 
        related to domestic terrorism is complicated by the diffuse nature of 
        domestic terrorism and the coordination necessitated by having 14 full 
        congressional committees with responsibility for issues related to 
        domestic terrorism;
Whereas the Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for 
        Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction (established pursuant to 
        section 1405 of the Strom Thurmond Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
        Year 1999 (Public Law 105-261; 50 U.S.C. 2301 note)) found that the 
        United States ``has no coherent, functional national strategy for 
        combating terrorism'';
Whereas such advisory panel further found that Congress must better organize 
        itself to deal with issues related to terrorism;
Whereas the United States Commission on National Security/21st Century, the 
        National Commission on Terrorism, and the Center for Strategic and 
        International Studies have all concluded that the threat of domestic 
        terrorism is real, that the executive branch has not been organized to 
        deal effectively with the threat of domestic terrorism, and that 
        Congress needs to take decisive action to improve its ability to oversee 
        issues related to domestic terrorism;
Whereas having a single executive agency with direct and complete responsibility 
        for issues related to domestic terrorism would make it possible for 
        Congress to coordinate effectively with the executive branch on the 
        issue of domestic terrorism;
Whereas the Nation is still sorrowed by, and will never forget, the injuries 
        suffered and the lives lost as a result of the bombing of the World 
        Trade Center on February 26, 1993, and the bombing of the Alfred P. 
        Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on April 19, 1995;
Whereas the plan of terrorists to enter the United States during the millennial 
        celebration and kill citizens of the United States is evidence of the 
        continuing threat of domestic terrorism; and
Whereas the President and Congress have no greater duty than to protect the 
        lives of the citizens of the United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) domestic terrorism is a grave danger to the national 
        security of the United States;
            (2) the President should--
                    (A) examine the organization of the executive 
                branch and identify the coordination and communication 
                problems that have existed in recent years among the 
                numerous executive agencies that deal with issues 
                related to domestic terrorism; and
                    (B) formulate a plan to reorganize the executive 
                branch to minimize or eliminate such problems;
            (3) Congress should establish a panel to examine the 
        adequacy of its committee structure to deal with issues related 
        to domestic terrorism and to consider the creation of more 
        effective structures, including a Select Committee on Domestic 
        Terrorism; and
            (4) the President and Congress should work together to 
        reach a mutual conclusion regarding the most effective 
        reorganizations to address the threat of domestic terrorism.
                                 <all>