[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 63 (Friday, May 13, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E963-E964]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TERRORIST REWARDS ENHANCEMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARK STEVEN KIRK

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 12, 2005

  Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Terrorist Rewards 
Enhancement Act. This bill will assist in our fight against terrorism 
around the globe. Currently, the terrorist rewards program run by the 
State Department assists in our hunt for terrorists by promising a cash 
reward or other type of reward for information leading to the arrest of 
some of the world's most deadly terrorists. This program has been very 
successful in the past in apprehending key people including Mir Amal 
Kansi, a terrorist who had murdered two CIA employees and injured three 
others in a 1993 shooting outside CIA headquarters in Virginia.
  Under current law, the U.S. may not pay a reward to an officer or 
employee of another government. In January I traveled to Pakistan, 
where I meet with a number of government officials. At the strong 
suggestion of Pakistan's ISI and IB Intelligence and Police bureaus, I 
believe the President should be able to pay such a reward to anyone 
having information leading us to the greatest terrorists. If there is 
anyone, anywhere, even if they work for a Pakistani government agency, 
who has information about the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden, we should 
be doing all we can to apprehend him.

[[Page E964]]

  With the capture of AI-Qaeda's number three man, Abu Farraj al-Libbi, 
last week, we are closing in faster and stronger than ever in the 
Wazaristan region of Pakistan. We need to provide our State Department 
and intelligence officials with all the possible tools to aid in the 
capture of the world's number one terrorist. The Terrorist Rewards 
Enhancement Act will provide one more of these tools.

                          ____________________