[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 178 (Thursday, December 20, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S13933]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              BIOTERRORISM

  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I rise to recognize the 
important achievement the Senate has made today in defending our 
homeland. Just over two months ago, my state of Florida was the site of 
the first in a series bioterrorist attacks on our Nation that 
culminated here in Washington, DC. While the repercussions evolving out 
of the anthrax attacks on our mail system pale in comparison to the 
enormous tragedy of September 11, the families of those who suffered 
tragic deaths after being exposed to anthrax laced letters and those of 
us who continue to be displaced on Capitol Hill understand the very 
real dangers associated with the elusive threat of bioterrorism.
  In the wake of the anthrax attacks, we, as a Nation, began to realize 
that we were not fully prepared to effectively and comprehensively 
respond to biological threats. The attack in Boca Raton, FL elicited an 
array of missteps and symptoms of inadequate preparation at all levels 
of government. Because Floridians, and Americans, had never faced such 
a threat before, the necessary communication lines had not been formed 
and many emergency responders were not properly equipped to handle this 
new type of crisis. The Bioterrorism Preparedness Act of 2001, passed 
by the Senate today, is an important first step at increasing our 
ability to respond to, and prevent, future biological attacks at the 
Federal, State, and local levels. It will enhance our ability to detect 
an attack by improving disease surveillance systems and public health 
laboratories. It will improve our ability to treat victims of an attack 
by increasing hospital capacity for disease outbreaks. It will also 
enhance our ability to contain an attack by expanding pharmaceutical 
stockpiles and accelerating the development of new treatments. Finally, 
this bill seeks to target future bioterrorist threats in a 
comprehensive manner by protecting our food sources and other potential 
targets.
  I would like to take this opportunity to highlight a portion of the 
bill that I believe is essential to our Nation's coordinated prevention 
and response initiative. Like many Americans, I sought out additional 
information about the threat of bioterrorism after anthrax was 
discovered in Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Washington, DC. In the 
course of my research efforts, I had the opportunity to visit with some 
of the professors, researchers, and scientists that work for the 
University of South Florida Center for Biological Defense. The Center 
for Biological Defense is a joint project of the University of South 
Florida College of Public Health and the Florida Department of Health. 
The Center focuses on a full spectrum of studies and programs, ranging 
from research and development to outreach and educational seminars. The 
Center has implemented a multifaceted approach to biological defense 
research that utilizes a number of universities throughout the state of 
Florida to implement its studies and projects. The Center for 
Biological Defense has laboratory programs that are dedicated to 
improving surveillance systems, developing early detection 
capabilities, rapidly identifying pathogens, and fully understanding 
the factors that affect the toxicity of biological agents. Moreover, 
the Center concentrates on efforts to enhance health care preparedness, 
to strengthen hospital hygiene and containment capabilities, and to 
coordinate vital educational and training programs for emergency 
management and health professionals, which has proven to be a crucial 
component of the response efforts to the anthrax contamination 
occurring over the course of the past 2 months.
  While the preeminent focus of the Bioterrorism Preparedness Act of 
2001 is on our government agencies and their crucial missions, a 
portion of this bill recognizes our Nation's universities as a critical 
component of the United States bioterrorism defense plan. Centers 
across the Nation, like Florida's Center for Biological Defense, do 
critical bio-defense work at the local, State, and national level 
everyday. In fact, it is these programs that have coordinated first 
responder training programs, developed products capable of identifying 
biological contamination on site, and developed new techniques for 
containing disease and preventing the spread of contagious pathogens. I 
am delighted that the Senate has been proactive in acknowledging the 
tremendous value of these programs in an effort to encourage their 
receipt of additional Federal grants in the future.
  I am pleased that I was able to be part of the effort to draft and 
pass the Bioterrorism Preparedness Act of 2001 and I am thankful to my 
fellow Senators for ensuring the passage of this vital bi-partisan 
legislation prior to the holiday recess. I look forward to passing a 
final version of this bill at the conclusion of the conference between 
the House and Senate, as I believe that implementation of this bill 
will not only ensure our preparedness for any future biological 
threats, but will also quell the concerns and fears of the American 
people.

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