FYI #131: Senate Homeland Security Funding Bill

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: fyi () aip org
Date: September 28, 2004 12:00:20 PM EDT
To: farber () CENTRAL CIS UPENN EDU
Subject: FYI #131: Senate Homeland Security Funding Bill
Reply-To: fyi () aip org

FYI
The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
Number 131: September 28, 2004

Homeland Security Funding Bill Nearing Completion

As Congress looks toward adjournment in early to mid-October, one of
the few funding bills that might be completed is the FY 2005
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill.  (The Defense
Department Appropriations Act has been signed into law.)  The House
of Representatives passed their version of this bill in June (see
http://www.aip.org/fyi/2004/079.html).  The Senate passed its
counterpart bill earlier this month.  Both versions recommend
significant increases in the Science and Technology account.
Congressional leaders hope to complete a final bill before
adjournment.

The House bill recommends a 22.4%, or $194.9 million,  increase in
the "Science and Technology - Research, Development, Acquisition and
Operations" budget to $1,063.7 million.  The Senate bill provides
for a 17.0%, or $147.9 million,  increase to $1,016.7 million   The
Bush Administration requested $988.0 million.  The current budget is
$868.8 million.

The Senate bill, S. 2357, closely follows the House bill by breaking
out the Science and Technology Directorate's account structure into
17 activities.  It adds an additional activity called
"Interoperability and Communications."   Selections from Senate
Report 108-280 accompanying the bill follow.  Readers wishing to
review the complete report language may do so at
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/approp/app05.html

NUCLEAR AND RADIOLOGICAL COUNTERMEASURES: "The Committee provides
$127,810,000 to rapidly develop and transition enhanced capability
to deployed detectors and systems and to rapidly incorporate recent
advances in prototype technologies into the near commercial
assistance of radiological and nuclear detectors and systems for use
in operational environments.

"Existing technologies being deployed by agencies at ports-of-entry,
including the United States Coast Guard [USCG] and the Bureau of
Customs and Border Protection, provide an effective nuclear
countermeasure system. However, continued focused development can
considerably extend these capabilities in order to develop
technologies for application to specific locations, including those
in the intermodal transportation system, in the maritime domain, at
border ports-of-entry, and in the aviation industry. The Committee
expects a significant expansion of the Countermeasures Test Bed
being conducted with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
in testing technologies to detect radiation/nuclear threats to
include railway, general aviation facility monitoring, expanded
roadways coverage, and an additional seaport.

"The Committee is aware of technology proposals developed with
national laboratories to facilitate the inspection of containerized
cargo for fissile materials as a part of the normal off-loading
process at the Nation's seaports. The Committee understands this
process would not increase normal cargo off-loading process time and
would provide a detection capability not currently in place. The
Committee encourages the Department to investigate the feasibility
of such technology as a part of its efforts to secure our Nation's
ports"

RAPID PROTOTYPING: "The Committee recommends $75,120,000 for
research, development, testing, evaluation and timely transition of
homeland security capabilities to Federal, State, and local
operational end-users. The Committee expects the rapid prototyping
program to continue to provide a mechanism for accelerated
development of technologies relevant to homeland security by
accelerating the time to develop and commercialize relevant
technologies in order to provide the operational end-user the
ability to prevent terrorist attacks, reduce the Nation's
vulnerability, and minimize the damage and assistance in recovery if
attacks occur."

STANDARDS: "The Committee provides $39,239,000 for development of
consistent and verifiable standards in terms of basic functionality,
task appropriateness and adequacy, interoperability, efficiency, and
sustainability to improve the quality and usefulness of homeland
security systems and technologies by actively engaging the Federal,
State, and local first responder."

"The Committee expects standards development and implementation
projects for biological, chemical, high explosives, nuclear and
radiological, terrorist intent, cyber security, and critical
infrastructure protection to develop guidelines as a collaborative
effort among vulnerability analysts, tool developers, users, and
standards experts."

UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS/HOMELAND SECURITY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS: "The
Committee provides $69,048,000, an increase of $39,048,000 from the
budget request, to fund existing and future Homeland Security
Centers of excellence and to continue the university fellows
program. The Committee encourages the Department to consider all
colleges and universities that meet the requirements of 6 U.S.C. 188
in the selection of university-based centers, including historically
black colleges and universities, tribal colleges, Hispanic-serving
institutions, Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and Alaskan
Native-serving institutions."  The House bill recommended $70.0
million.

###############
Richard M. Jones
Media and Government Relations Division
The American Institute of Physics
fyi () aip org    http://www.aip.org/gov
(301) 209-3094
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