[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 151 (Wednesday, October 21, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S12859]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION IMPLEMENTATION ACT

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am glad that the House of Representatives 
has, at long last, taken up and passed the Chemical Weapons Convention 
Implementation Act, S. 610, that the Senate had passed and sent to the 
House more than a years ago. This measure was included in the omnibus 
spending bill passed by the House last night and by the Senate today.
  Over 10 years ago, in May 1988, as chairman of the then Judiciary 
Subcommittee on Technology and the Law, I convened hearings on High 
Tech Terrorism, including terrorism with chemical and biological 
weapons and terrorist attacks on computer infrastructure. We have made 
progress in those 10 years, but we need to do more. I was proud to have 
played a role in Senate ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention 
last year. This was a matter initiated under President Reagan, 
negotiated by President Bush, and signed on behalf of the United States 
by President Clinton.
  We also proceeded to pass implementing legislation, which addressed 
complex technical and constitutional issues and about which there was 
great potential for delay. We were able to overcome that delay, 
however, and reach a sound consensus with admirable speed. The bill was 
referred to the Judiciary Committee on April 17, 1997, and we held 
hearings and reported out the bill in just over a month. That bill 
passed the Senate on May 23, 1997. That shows what we can do here when 
we put our minds to it.
  I am gratified that the stall in House consideration of this 
important implementing legislation for the Chemical and Biological 
Weapons Treaty has finally ended. Further delay and a failure to act on 
the part of the House on what is so obviously a pressing national 
priority, would have been a great blow to the Nation and to the 
national security.

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