Sherry Boehlert

Mr. BOEHLERT

Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) for purposes of control.

Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Washington makes a very important point. Neither the Immigration and Naturalization Service nor the Department of State have provided final guidance to enable universities to participate in the new Student Exchange Visitor Information System, which provides tracking, monitoring, and access to accurate and current information on nonimmigration students and exchange visas. It is not possible to be materially out of compliance with these requirements until the final guidance and an appropriate time for implementation have been provided to the university research community.

Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman would continue to yield, the gentleman is correct. Enforcement of the immigration laws is the responsibility of the INS and the State Department. Section 17 requires that NSF report to Congress on information it obtains from institutions of higher education, State and INS. This section does not require the NSF Director to commission a duplicative study to secure information that should be readily obtainable from the State Department and INS.

Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 3394.

Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to bring H.R. 3394, the Cyber Security Research and Development Act, before the House again, this time for final passage. Back in February, the House passed the bill 400 to 12, a sign of the widely recognized need for this legislation. The Senate, by unanimous consent, has now returned the bill to us entirely intact, with a few negotiated noncontroversial additions. These additions include an additional fellowship program, greater efforts to approve the security of Federal computers, language to ensure that existing rules concerning foreign students are being enforced, and a technical correction to the bill we passed in response to the collapse of the World Trade Center. With this background, no one should be surprised that I expect this bill to be signed shortly by the President. That is as it should be. H.R. 3394 will provide a targeted solution to a serious but largely overlooked problem: cyber security. Cyber security is a problem that is even worse than it first appears. That is because not only are our Nation's computers and networks vulnerable to attack, and not only could a cyber attack disrupt our economy and threaten public health and safety, but we simply do not know enough about how to design computers and networks to make them less vulnerable. For too long, cyber security has just not been a research priority. The private sector was much more focused on making computers cheaper, faster, and easier to use. The market did not put a premium on security. Government similarly turned its attention elsewhere. As a result, computers have become omnipresent. We are more and more at their mercy, without becoming any more secure. In an age of terrorism, such willful ignorance about cyber security has got to come to an end. We received yet another reminder of that monumental fact last month when the servers that run the Internet in the United States were subject to a concerted attack from overseas. H.R. 3394 is designed quite simply, to usher in a new era in cyber security research. Cyber security research will no longer be a backwater, but rather will become a priority at two of our premier research agencies, the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and through them, a priority in academia and industry. And the programs created by H.R. 3394 are designed not only to spur new thinking about how to safeguard computers and networks in both the short and long run, but to make sure that we have a cadre of experts who will devote their careers to improving cyber security. The bill includes incentives for researchers to turn their attention to cyber security, and incentives to attract students to the field at the undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral levels. In short, this bill is a targeted but comprehensive attempt to ensure that the Nation's best minds are focused on improving cyber security. That is what it will take to stave off a cyber attack. I want to thank the many people inside and outside Congress who helped us bring this bill to fruition. Bill Wulf, the president of the National Academy of Engineering, is really the godfather of this bill, bringing the problem and potential solutions to our attention, and he has always been available to bounce ideas off of. Industry groups have been enormously helpful and supportive, including the Information Technology Association of America and the National Association of Manufacturers. This bill has been a bipartisan effort from its inception. I want to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall), the ranking member, and the other Members of the minority, including the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Baird), who have helped shape this bill. We have had similar partnership in the other body led by Senators Wyden and Allen. In short, H.R. 3394 is a bipartisan approach to a very real but very solvable problem. I urge its final passage, not just because it is needed, but because it will reflect the fine efforts of so many dedicated people on the staff of both the Republican and Democrat side. This bill has been bicameral, and has the private sector working in partnership with government. That is the way it should be. We are addressing a very serious problem, and trying to get ahold of it before it gets out of hand, and I am optimistic we are moving in the right direction. Mr. Speaker, I urge final passage of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 3394) an Act to authorize funding for computer and network security research and development and research fellowship programs, and for other purposes.

Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. BOEHLERT

Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3389, which was referred to the Committee on Science, as well as the Committee on Resources. I wanted to thank the Committee on Resources, and especially the chairman of the Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife, and Oceans, my good friend, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest), for working so cooperatively with us on this measure. I also want to acknowledge the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment, Technology, and Standards, who shepherded this bill through our committee. Mr. Speaker, this bill took a little bit of work to get through the process because we were not satisfied with simply reauthorizing the program, or even with simply increasing its funding, although that is an important part of the bill. We wanted to make sure that an excellent program would become even better, and we took seriously the administration's interest in making the funding for the program more competitive, even as we rejected moving the program to the National Science Foundation. As a result, this bill will make some changes in the Sea Grant program. The State programs will now be subject to a competitive evaluation and ranking, and new monies will be distributed based on those rankings. New money can also be used for national initiatives and for new entrants in the Sea Grant program. We hope and expect that this new approach to Sea Grant so common elsewhere in the scientific community will spur the program to new heights. The bill includes a review of how the new evaluation system is working, so we are not just going to assume that our idea will pan out, but we will put it to the test. I am very pleased that we were able to develop a bill that recognizes the great contributions of the Sea Grant program, retains it within NOAA, provides additional funds, and challenges it to be more competitive. I want to thank the staff who worked so hard on this bill, particularly Eric Webster on the Committee on Science and John Rayfield on the Committee on Resources. This is a cooperative, bipartisan effort, and I urge its approval.

Mr. BOEHLERT

Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Help America Vote Act, a bill that is the product of many days and nights of hard work on both sides of the aisle and both Houses of Congress. It is the product, too, of the collaborative efforts of the Science Committee and the House Administration Committee. This bill is a carefully constructed compromise. It expands the right to vote by requiring that states allow provisional voting. It includes commonsense measures to prevent fraud. And, by providing over $3 billion to States to buy out antiquated voting machines, train poll workers, educate voters, and improve the administration of Federal elections, the bill helps ensure that fiscally strapped States and localities will still be able to meet the tough requirements the bill imposes. But perhaps one of the most fundamental reforms--taken from provisions passed by the Science Committee last year--is the improvement the bill makes in the way technical standards are developed for voting equipment. Most Americans pay no attention to this arcane field of technical specifications, tolerances, and error rates--and that's as it should be. For when it goes right, no one notices. But when it goes wrong--when the chads of punch card ballots don't align correctly, or when electronic voting machines automatically shut down before the polls are supposed to--the entire world quickly becomes all too familiar with its technical vocabulary. Strong technical standards will become even more important as the country strives to live up to the new requirements of this bill, especially the requirement that each state compile a computerized database of all its registered voters. Such lists will surely make vast improvements in how America votes, but if they are not also to expose us to the misdeeds of hackers and other cyber criminals, we must develop robust computer security standards to protect these systems. I want to thank Mr. Ney, the chairman of the House Administration Committee, for his hard work on crafting this bill and his willingness to include provisions of the Science Committee's to strengthen the way critical, but often overlooked, voting equipment standards are developed. I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

Mr. BOEHLERT

Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, what is the rush? That question was asked of me Monday evening following the President's speech. It was asked of me last week and the week before and the week before. As a matter of fact, it was first posed to me by a thoughtful questioner at a League of Women Voters candidates forum in Cortland, New York, some 7 weeks ago. My answer to him then was the same answer I give to everyone now. There is no rush. The President is prudent, measured and firm in dealing with a decade of defiance, deception and bad faith on the part of Saddam Hussein, who has repeatedly ignored U.N. resolutions and turned his back on agreements that he himself embraced. There is widespread agreement with the President. The time for denying, deceiving and delay is over. Iraq has a chemical and biological weapons capability which can be launched at a moment's notice and is in the process of acquiring a nuclear capability. From my vantage point as chairman of the Committee on Science, I am familiar with the havoc that can be wreaked with chemical and biological weapons; and as a senior member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, I am most familiar with the evidence that Saddam Hussein has an accelerated program to acquire a nuclear capability. The case has been made. The question is, what do we do about it? In my view, the President is going about it in the correct way. He is not some rogue cowboy from Texas, acting as the Lone Ranger, but a thoughtful, international leader, rising to the occasion with calm and reason and resolve. The case has indeed been made, and it is up to us to respond. The President went to the United Nations and in a very orderly, methodical way outlined the evidence to that body and to the international community. The President has repeatedly consulted with the Congress, not just with a few leaders, but all of us. There have been meetings at the White House. Just yesterday, for example, I started my day at 7:30 at the Pentagon with a briefing by the Secretary of Defense and his top people, followed by a return to Capitol Hill for several hours of meetings with the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, followed by a luncheon meeting with a group of us with Condoleeza Rice, the National Security Adviser. The Congress is involved. It has been presented the evidence, and the President is engaging the American people with a thoughtful, sober, analytical presentation. And I have to confess great disappointment because if my colleagues turned on the television set Monday night, on the three national channels they found their usual programming, not to be interrupted by something so minor as the President of the United States addressing the world on one of the most serious subjects of the moment. I think overlooked in that speech to the American people Monday night was this fact, and the speech made it abundantly clear. Approving this resolution does not mean that immediate action is imminent or unavoidable. I am comforted by the fact that the President has advisers like Colin Powell and Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld and Condoleeza Rice. They are going about this in the correct way, and I urge support for the Commander-in-Chief.

Mr. BOEHLERT

Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a very special group of young scientists. As Chairman of the House Committee on Science, I am an avid supporter of programs that encourage the youth of America to push the limits of innovation and originality in science. One such program is the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge. Created in 1999, Discovery Communications, Inc., designed the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge as part of the solution to America's chronic underachievement in science and math. The annual national contest responds to evidence that academic performance and interest in science among American students declines dramatically as students become older. This is particularly evident during the middle school years. For these reasons, the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge identifies and honors America's top middle school student who demonstrates the best skills in leadership, teamwork, and scientific problem solving. More than 6,000 middle school students have entered the challenge since its inception in order to compete for the title of ``America's Top Young Scientist of the Year.'' Since 1999, scholarship awards for the students have totaled more than $400,000 and challenge winners have participated in science-related trips to far-off places, including the Roslin Institute in Midlothian, Scotland, and the El Yunque rain forest in Puerto Rico. On September 18, 2002, Discovery Communications, Inc., announced the 40 middle school students who have advanced to the finals of the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge. Selected from more than 1,700 entrants, the ``Final Forty'' represent an elite group of young Americans who demonstrated exceptional creativity and communications skills in original science research projects. The ``Final Forty'' will travel to Washington, DC, October 19-23 where they will compete in complex science challenges largely revolving around science and the roll it plays in our national security. The finalists for the 2002 Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge are: Brittany Anderson of Texico, New Mexico; Guatam Bej of Birmingham, Alabama; Terrance Bunkley of Fort Worth, Texas; Russell Burrows of San Antonio, Texas; Trevor Corbin of Richmond, Virginia; Kurt Dahlstrom of Hillsboro, North Dakota; Roy Gross of Lansdale, Pennsylvania; Kristin Grotecloss of St. Petersburg, Florida; Jennifer Gutman of Wheeling, West Virginia; Christine Haas of Clovis, California; Alicia Hall of Hoople, North Dakota; David Hart of Lake Charles, Louisiana; Stephanie Hicks of San Antonio, Texas; Lorren Kezmoh of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Asmita Kumar of Goleta, California; Daniel Lang of Yardley, Pennsylvania; Hilana Lewkowitz-Shpuntoff of Great Neck; New York; Rayden Llano of Miami, Florida; Michael Mi of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Jessica Miles of San Antonio, Texas; Daniel Miller Jr. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Yahya Mohammed of Niceville, Florida; Sarah Mousa of West Grove, Pennsylvania; Noele Norris of Miami, Florida; Kels Phelps of Butte, Montana; Adam Quade of New Brighton, Minnesota; Sasha Rohret of San Antonio, Texas; Haileigh Stainbrook of Sanger, California; Nupur Shridhar of Malvern, Pennsylvania; Jared Steed of Deleware, Ohio; Aron Trevino of San Antonio, Texas; Kory Vencill of Applegate, Oregon; Kelydra Welcker of Parkersburg, West Virginia; Kevin Welsh of Paulina, Louisiana; Nicole Wen of San Antonio, Texas; Emily Willis of Heber, Utah; Ashley Woodall of Garland, Texas; Dylan Young of Upper Arlington, Ohio. At a time when science and technology plays such an enormous role in our lives, I believe it is imperative that we continue to support and nurture the next generation of young scientists. I would like to congratulate these students for their dedication and hard work in the name of science and wish them all good luck during the 2002 Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge.

Mr. BOEHLERT

Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 476, recognizing the goals and ideas of a day of tribute for fallen firefighters, and supporting the important mission of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Congress created this non-profit foundation ten years ago to lead a national effort to honor firefighters who have died in the line of duty and to assist surviving firefighters and family members in rebuilding their lives. The Foundation has been steadily expanding its activities. In addition to providing emotional support services to survivors and scholarship awards for surviving spouses and children, the Foundation is now creating the first National Park to memorialize fallen firefighters in Emmitsburg, Maryland. And this Sunday, October 6th, the Foundation will sponsor a memorial weekend to honor the commitment, bravery and sacrifice of the 446 firefighters who died in the line of duty in the past year, 343 whose lives were taken on September 11th, 2001. No one could have anticipated the magnitude of destruction and loss of life that occurred last September. In the wake of those tragic events, the value and contributions of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation became unmistakably clear. At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation sent support staff to Ground Zero within days of the attacks, working around the clock to coordinate chaplain support services, survivor support services, as well as logistical and administrative support association with the loss of the firefighters. The Foundation's efforts in New York City during its time of greatest need were truly invaluable, and I proudly support its cause, as well this resolution recognizing its importance. U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC, September 30, 2002. Hon. J. Dennis Hastert Office of the Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Speaker Hastert, I am writing to inform you that the Committee on Science has discharged from further consideration H. Con. Res. 476, a resolution ``Expressing support for the goals and ideas of a day of tribute to all firefighters who have died in the line of duty and recognizing the important mission of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation in assisting family members to overcome the loss of their fallen heroes.'' H. Con. Res. 476 was referred to this Committee on September 19, 2002. Sincerely, Sherwood L. Boehlert, Chairman

Mr. BOEHLERT

Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I submitted the following correspondence: House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Washington, DC September 30,2002. Hon. J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker, Office of the Speaker, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Speaker Hastert: I am writing to inform you that the Committee on Science has discharged from further consideration H.R. 5030, the ``Charles `Pete' Conrad Astronomy Awards Act.'' H.R. 5303 was referred to this Committee on July 26, 2002. Sincerely, Sherwood, L. Boehlert, Chairman.

Mr. BOEHLERT

Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following correspondence: House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Washington, DC September 30, 2002. The Hon. J. Dennis Hastert, Office of the Speaker, House of Representatives, Washington,

Mr. BOEHLERT

Mr. BOEHLERT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Our unending quest must be to fill gaps in our knowledge base. With this legislation, we are doing just that. This is a proud moment for the House. I want to thank particularly the gentleman from New York (Mr. Weiner) but also others who cannot be here today because of conflicts. The gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel) was very helpful. The gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) was there right from the beginning and worked very hard. I want to comment on the high degree of professionalism of the staff on the Committee on Science. On our side, Cameron Wilson and Diane Jones and Dr. John Mimikakis and our staff director David Goldston. But it was not just a Republican staff and a Republican bill or a Democrat staff and a Democrat bill. This is a bill for America developed by concerned Americans who want to protect us as much as humanly possible for the future.

Mr. BOEHLERT. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Grucci) who has been there right from the beginning, at every hearing, meeting with the skyscraper safety campaign committee, meeting with the professional staff, working very hard to produce the product that we are proud to present to the House today.

Mr. BOEHLERT. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4687.

Mr. BOEHLERT. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOEHLERT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am honored to bring this bill back to the House so we can pass it and send it on to the President for his signature. Last week the Members of the House, like citizens throughout our Nation, set aside time to remember the events and heroes and victims of last September 11. We re-experienced the shock and horror of that day, and we gave thanks for our liberties and the way our Nation spontaneously came together to provide emergency, emotional and financial support to those people and places that needed it. But that is not enough. Our responses to September 11 cannot be limited to sentiment. We have to learn from what happened that day, and apply those lessons. Most of the lessons, of course, relate to foreign policy and domestic security, and it is often difficult to discern exactly what those lessons ought to be once one goes beyond enhanced vigilance, but there are also lessons related to building safety, and at least the immediate lessons in that area are crystal clear. The collapse of the Twin Towers, and especially the emergency response and evacuation procedures in response to the attack on the Towers, indicates that we need to know more about skyscraper safety. The government study that followed the collapse showed that we need to have better procedures in place to study building failures, from whatever cause, if we are going to save lives in the future. The attack on the World Trade Center is, we hope, unique. But the collapse of those two seemingly immovable objects has lessons for a wide variety of buildings facing a wide variety of relatively common circumstances. H.R. 4687, which I introduced along with the gentleman from New York (Mr. Weiner), will ensure that we are able to learn and apply those lessons, not only in the case of the World Trade Center, but in future cases as well. The bill simply and precisely remedies each and every failing that hindered the investigation of the World Trade Center collapse. The bill gives clear responsibility and authority, including subpoena power, to the National Institute of Standards and Technology to use its longstanding expertise, and that of outside experts, to investigate failures of structures and evacuation procedures, and to make specific recommendations to prevent their recurrence. The bill ensures that NIST's response will be swift and thorough. This bill has already passed the House overwhelmingly, and we have negotiated clarifying changes with the Senate. The bill is ready for the President, and it will be a fitting memorial to those who perished last year at this time. Madam Speaker, I thank the families of those who died at the Trade Center, especially those who have formed the Skyscraper Safety Campaign, for all their hard work in helping to bring this measure to fruition. We are working together to ensure that no other families will ever have to experience their particular pain. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOEHLERT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Weiner) points out something very important. We get things done in this institution by working on a bipartisan basis. We get things done in this Congress by working on a bicameral basis. That is why we have succeeded in getting to this point. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays), someone who has been very instrumental in fashioning this bill and bringing us to the point where we are right now.

Mr. BOEHLERT

Mr. BOEHLERT. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 4687) to provide for the establishment of investigative teams to assess building performance and the emergency response and evacuation procedures in the wake of any building failure that has resulted in substantial loss of life or that posed significant potential of substantial loss of life.

Mr. BOEHLERT

Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Manager's Amendment. I want to thank the Majority Leader and his staff, Margaret Peterlin, Steve Rademaker and Hugh Halpern, for working so cooperatively with us on these items. The Manager's Amendment includes language making clear the Department's responsibilities to work with states, localities and the private sector to help them improve the security of their computer systems. The Amendment also establishes a volunteer corps of computer experts, who, upon request, could help localities recover from cyber attacks. The Amendment also includes two important provisions we worked out with the Energy and Commerce and Government Reform Committees, and I want to thank Chairman Tauzin and Chairman Davis and their staffs for their work on these issues. The first provision, based on Chairman Davis's Federal Information Systems Management Act, will help improve the security of federal computer systems. The second provision will ensure that the government can take advantage of unsolicited ideas from entrepreneurs and inventors who are working on ways to enhance homeland security. After the anthrax attacks, Americans came forward with an avalanche of ideas to counter bioterrorism, and found that the government had no way to avoid simply being buried by the incoming information. That has to change, and the Department of Homeland Security has to be the instrument to change it. The Department must have a way to receive unsolicited suggestions, evaluate them, and either move with them, refer them to other appropriate federal agencies, or reject them. The language will require the Department to do just that. This is such a clear need for the Department to do this--advocated by the National Academy of Science, among others--that the Science Committee, the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Government Reform Committee each reported out a version of language to meet this need. In our Committee, Congresswoman Lynn Rivers offered helpful language to expand on the ideas in our base bill, and particularly, to promote coordination with the Technical Support Working Group, an inter-agency group that currently tries to shift through unsolicited ideas. I'm pleased that our three Committees were able to merge our approaches, and that Chairman Armey included that agreement in the Manager's Amendment. I urge support of this Amendment, which clearly improves the bill.

Mr. BOEHLERT

Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5005, and I want to draw particular attention to the bill's appropriate focus on science and technology. Advancement in science and technology will be critical to the success of every mission of the Department of Homeland Security: Improving intelligence analysis, cybersecurity, border security, and emergency response all will require the invention and deployment of new technologies, ranging from new software to make computer networks more secure, to new standards to make emergency response communications equipment interoperable. Like the Cold War, the war on terrorism will be won as much in the laboratory as on the battlefield. With that in mind, the Select Committee has followed the recommendation of the Committee on Science and has created an Under Secretary for Science and Technology. With this under secretary, the bill ensures that one senior official in the new Department will be responsible and accountable for the science and technology activities of the entire Department. This approach will ensure that the science and technology activities of the Department have the critical mass and the skilled leadership they need to succeed. The language of title III gives the Under Secretary for Science and Technology the tools needed to build the scattering of relatively small programs being transferred into the agency into a dynamic science and technology capability. I want to thank the members and staff of the Select Committee for working with us so cooperatively to ensure that the new departments will have a strong, vigorous, and innovative science and technology capability as called for by the National Research Council and other expert groups. I also want to point out the Committee on Science provisions were approved in our committee on a bipartisan, unanimous vote. Mr. Chairman, I also want to draw attention briefly to the cybersecurity provisions of the bill which have been strengthened as H.R. 5005 moved through the congressional process. The bill now explicitly focuses on cybersecurity, one of our Nation's most serious vulnerabilities. The manager's amendment will strengthen those provisions even further by providing more tools and direction to ensure the security of Federal, State, local and private sector computer systems, and to help speed recovery if security is ever breached, nonetheless. I want to thank my colleagues, and I urge full support of H.R. 5005.

Mr. BOEHLERT

Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time, and I rise in support of a very fair rule. Mr. Speaker, this bill is complex in its specific recommendations, but simple in its intent: To restore our Nation's intelligence capabilities so that we can absolutely minimize the possibility of another surprise terrorist attack on our homeland. Our goal; no more surprises, no more attacks. The President is absolutely correct; homeland security is and must continue to be the number one priority of government at all levels, and the first priority of the Federal Government is to guarantee, as much as humanly possible, the peace and security of the American people. They, we, all of us, have a right to live our lives without fear. The largest increase in spending for our national intelligence activities in over a decade is provided for in this bill. For the first time in many years, the administration has requested an increase in intelligence operations and capabilities. We are providing the total funding the President requested, placing greater emphasis on areas which require the most attention. Specifically, this bill addresses not just with words, but with deeds, dollars to back up what we say: the shortfall in human intelligence with essential language capabilities. We must aggressively pursue a program to significantly increase a number of foreign language-qualified individuals in the intelligence community. It adds significant funding for initial and follow-on training for linguists, and there is a provision to create a new language university for the entire intelligence community. I believe this is critical to developing the human intelligence officers of the future that will be able to collect and, more importantly, analyze information on those who would pose a threat to the United States of America. It does not serve our national interests if we are the best at collecting intelligence if we are lacking in our ability to analyze and disseminate to decision-makers sensitive information in a timely manner. That possibility exists today because of our deficiencies in language capabilities. This bill takes on, in a very direct way, the issues of intelligence, collection, analysis, and production against threats of terrorism. We do so by placing added emphasis and resources where I think they are most needed: on human intelligence, our eyes and ears with a global reach. Let me state the obvious. It does not do much good if we have the right people in the right places dealing with collecting or analyzing if they do not have the language ability to understand what is being collected or what is being analyzed. Mr. Speaker, as I said, the intent of this bill is simple. It is designed to provide the necessary resources, direction, and authorizations for the Nation's intelligence community to provide the best foreign intelligence possible to defend the United States against the many worldwide threats. The threats are not going to go away; and from my days as a boy scout, I know we must be prepared. Mr. Speaker, I will close with a thank you. Thank you to the dedicated men and women of the U.S. intelligence community. We owe them a debt of gratitude for the tough and unheralded work they do for all of us. The memory of a failure of intelligence to present something as horrific as September 11 will forever be seared in our minds. It is important to never forget the untold numbers of threats that never materialized into anything but words, with no action following, because of the endless number of intelligence success stories where the system worked as intended. The system is not perfect; it probably never will be. But we must continue to strive for perfection. This bill is a contribution toward that end. Thank you, all of you, in the intelligence community for quietly being there, working behind the scenes, to discover and counter the threats to our security and our liberties. I also want to thank the committee chairman, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Goss), and the ranking member, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), for their leadership and hard work on this bill. And I want to express my respect and admiration for my colleagues on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and their very able professional staff. They work hard, very hard for the cause. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4628.