[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 117 (Tuesday, September 17, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H6261]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          THE NIH SECURITY ACT

  (Mrs. MORELLA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the critically 
important National Institutes of Health Security Act.
  After September 11, Congress authorized a 322-acre biomedical 
research facility to bolster its security by doubling its police ranks 
from 64 officers to 108. This decision was made by U.S. intelligence 
experts who determined that the NIH campus is vulnerable and a 
potential target for terrorist attack, infiltration or theft of 
protected materials and research. Unfortunately, the force has never 
come close to reaching those numbers due to the current pay and 
retirement system.
  NIH police are one of the lowest paid in the Washington metropolitan 
area. Making matters worse, NIH police are not classified as Federal 
``law enforcement officers,'' and are thereby denied the superior 
retirement benefits that distinction affords. The result is in low 
retention of officers, difficulty with recruitment. Without retirements 
included, there exists a 77 percent attrition rate at NIH yearly.
  Due to the severity of the situation and the resources that NIH 
protects, I am introducing legislation that would allow NIH to bolster 
its security force. This bill would add no additional cost to the 
Federal Government. It would simply allow some long overdue flexibility 
to be used by NIH.
  Without these changes, we are undoubtedly allowing a prime target to 
remain vulnerable to terrorists.
  I want to recognize NIH law enforcement personnel, specifically Clyde 
Bartz and the Fraternal Order of Police, for raising my awareness of 
this issue.

                          ____________________