[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 32 (Friday, March 12, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S2774]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




WISCONSIN'S ACQUISITION OF A WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION CIVIL SUPPORT 
                                  TEAM

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I was very happy to learn this week that 
Wisconsin will be one of 12 new States to receive funding for a full-
time Weapon of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team--WMD-CST--this year 
and I want to congratulate the Wisconsin National Guard for their 
efforts to secure a full-time team. These teams, made up of members of 
the National Guard, play a vital role in assisting local first 
responders in investigating and combating the new threat we face in the 
21st century. During the 2002 Baseball All-Star Game in Milwaukee, WI 
had to call in Minnesota's civil support team because Wisconsin did not 
yet have a full-time team. I am pleased that Wisconsin will now have 
its own capability to quickly respond and protect its citizens from 
possible terrorist threats.
  I have worked for years now to assure that all states and territories 
have at least one of these teams and I want to thank my colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle for helping me in this endeavor. We have had 
great success. The Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2003 made it law that all states and territories have at 
least one WMD-CST and Congress authorized and appropriated the funds to 
establish 12 of the 23 teams during fiscal year 2004. Now we must make 
sure that the last 11 teams are funded in fiscal year 2005.

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