[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 59 (Friday, April 11, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5377-S5378]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. FEINGOLD (for himself, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Reid, Mr. Hagel, Mr. 
        Johnson, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Kohl, and 
        Mr. Jeffords):
  S. 918. A bill to require the Secretary of Defense to implement fully 
by September 30, 2004, requirements for additional Weapons of Mass 
Destruction Civil Support Teams; to the Committee on Armed Services.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, the tragic events of September 11, 2001, 
and the ongoing military action in Iraq have changed the way that our 
country thinks about defense policy, including about how we protect our 
citizens here at home.
  For that reason, it is vitally important that we fully implement 
section 1403 of Public Law 107-314, the Bob Stump National 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003, which requires the Secretary of 
Defense to establish an additional 23 Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil 
Support Teams, WMD-CSTs, and that at least one team be located in each 
State and territory of the United States.
  WMD-CSTs are made up of 22 full-time National Guard personnel who are 
specially trained and equipped to deploy and assess suspected nuclear, 
chemical, biological, or other threats in support of local first 
responders. There are currently 32 full-time and 23 part-time WMD-CSTs 
across the country.
  Chemical, biological, and other threats present new challenges to our 
military and to local responders. The WMD-CSTs play a vital role in 
assisting local first responders in investigating and combating these 
new threats. The September 11 terrorist attacks, and the terror alerts 
issued by the Department of Homeland Security, emphasize the need to 
have full-time WMD-CSTs in each State.
  As the events of September 11 so clearly and tragically demonstrated, 
local first responders are on the front lines of combating terrorism 
and responding to other large-scale incidents. As we rethink the 
security needs of our country, we should support the creation of an 
additional 23 full-time WMD-CSTs as soon as possible. Establishing 
these additional full-time teams will improve the overall capability of 
Wisconsin and the other 18 States and 4 territories with part-time 
teams to prepare for and respond to potential threats to the future.
  In light of the tragic events of September 11, the ongoing threat of 
terrorist activities, and the military action in Iraq, the presence of 
at least one WMD-CST in each State is all the more imperative.
  The provisions included in last year's Defense authorization bill 
represent an important step forward in the effort to establish WMD-CSTs 
in each State and territory. My bill would build on this progress by 
including a deadline by which these teams have to be established and 
providing the resources necessary to staff, equip, train, and operate 
these teams.
  The legislation that I introduce today, the Weapons of Mass 
Destruction Civil Support Team Implementation Act of 2003, would 
require the Secretary of Defense to fully implement section 1403 by 
September 30, 2004. The costs associated with setting up these new 
teams would be paid for by an across-the-board cut to the fiscal year 
2004 procurement account.
  I am pleased to be joined in this effort by the Senator from Vermont, 
Mr. Leahy, the Senator from Nevada, Mr. Reid, the Senator from 
Nebraska, Mr. Hagel, the Senator from South Dakota, Mr. Johnson, the 
Senator from Connecticut, Mr. Lieberman, the Senator from Maryland, Mr. 
Sarbanes, the Senator from Connecticut, Mr. Dodd, the Senior Senator 
from Wisconsin, Mr. Kohl, and the Senator from Vermont, Mr. Jeffords.
  The terrorist attacks and the subsequent mobilization of tens of 
thousands of National Guardsmen and reservists, and the activation of 
hundreds of thousands of guardsmen and reservists for the military 
campaign in Iraq, also underscore the need to provide adequate 
resources for and to ensure full-time manning of the National Guard. As 
we

[[Page S5378]]

move to establish at least one 22-member WMD-CST in each State, we 
should also allocate the necessary resources to ensure adequate 
National Guard personnel end-strengths to provide for full-time manning 
and for the additional personnel necessary for these new teams.
  For that reason, our bill would also authorize an additional 506 
full-time National Guard positions to man these new teams.
  Given the important role that the men and women of the National Guard 
play in our ongoing missions at home and abroad, we should ensure that 
the establishment of these important teams does not put at risk full-
time manning in other vital areas of the National Guard's mission.
  It is important that the additional WMD-CSTs are established as soon 
as possible.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of my bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 918

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Weapons of Mass Destruction 
     Civil Support Teams Implementation Act of 2003''.

     SEC. 2. FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF REQUIREMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL 
                   WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION CIVIL SUPPORT 
                   TEAMS.

       (a) Deadline for Full Implementation.--The Secretary of 
     Defense shall fully implement the requirements regarding the 
     establishment and number of Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil 
     Support Teams under section 1403(a) of the Bob Stump National 
     Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 
     107-314; 116 Stat. 2676; 10 U.S.C. 12310 note) not later than 
     September 30, 2004.
       (b) Personnel.--In order to meet the requirement in 
     subsection (a), the authorized end strengths for members of 
     the National Guard serving on full-time National Guard duty 
     as of September 30, 2004, shall be increased over the number 
     of such members otherwise authorized by law by the number of 
     such members as follows:
       (1) For the Army National Guard of the United States, 414 
     members of the National Guard.
       (2) For the Air National Guard of the United States, 92 
     members of the National Guard.
       (c) Funding.--(1) From the aggregate amount authorized to 
     be appropriated for procurement for the Armed Forces by title 
     I of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
     2004, there shall be available (and may be transferred to 
     other authorizations of appropriations, as appropriate) such 
     sums as the Secretary considers appropriate to meet the 
     requirement in subsection (a) in accordance with this 
     section.
       (2) The Secretary shall allocate among the accounts for 
     procurement for the Armed Forces for fiscal year 2004 the 
     reduction in amounts available for such procurement under 
     title I of that Act by reason of the availability of funds 
     under paragraph (1) to meet the requirement in subsection 
     (a).
                                 ______