House Proceeding 03-24-09 on Mar 24th, 2009 :: 0:54:10 to 0:58:45
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0:54:10 to 0:54:31( Edit History Discussion )

the bill authorizes appropriations of $30 million per year for the next three fiscal years for this effort. identical legislation passed the house on june 18, 2008. unfortunately the senate did not take up the measure in a timely fashion. this -- in this congress i'm pleased we are covering this legislation early in the first session. with a strong bipartisan vote

0:54:32 to 0:54:53( Edit History Discussion )

Paul Braun, Jr.: today, we can s on a swift path to the president's desk. i urge my colleagues to support the bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california. mr. lungren: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recogzed. mr. lungren: mr. speaker, as the ranking member of the homeland security subcommitte emerging threat, cybersecurity, and science and technology, i'm

0:54:50 to 0:58:20( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Paul Braun, Jr.

0:54:54 to 0:55:14( Edit History Discussion )

Paul Braun, Jr.: pleased to see this important bipartisan legislation once again come up for a vote. in the last congress we speant great deal of time discussing the efforts of the department of homeland security's domestic nuclear detection o dndo, to deploy radiation portal monitors at our nation's ports of entry.

0:55:15 to 0:55:36( Edit History Discussion )

Paul Braun, Jr.: these monitors staffed by customs and border protection officers are the nation's primary defense against illicit trafficking in nuclear radiological material. dndo continues to improve these technologies and i hope that we'll be supportive of their efforts. yet terrorists could overcome even the best detection systems.

0:55:37 to 0:55:57( Edit History Discussion )

Paul Braun, Jr.: as we know, no technology is 100% sensitive border areas between official ports of entry also remain vulnerable. for this reason defense against terrorism requires a multilayered approach as it does in so many other areas. this bill is a strategy to add another layer. will fortify our national

0:55:58 to 0:56:18( Edit History Discussion )

Paul Braun, Jr.: capabilities, and technical nuclear forensics. a science that plays a key role in the atribbution of nuclear material to its source. it enumerates a variety of responsibiliti for the department to advance and sustain a technical forensics -- nuclear forensics capability and authorizes the national technical nuclear forensic

0:56:19 to 0:56:40( Edit History Discussion )

Paul Braun, Jr.: center to undertake this mission a key component is language designed to strengthen the pipeline of talented new scientists into this in recent years as we know the number of young people entering science has declined throughout this nation. the nuclear fields in particular are suffering, especially harmful to nuclear forensics. this bill therefore instructs

0:56:41 to 0:57:04( Edit History Discussion )

Paul Braun, Jr.: the department to establish a national nuclear forensics expertise development program devoted to developing and maintaining a vibrant and enduring pipeline of scientific professionals. the program will grant scholarships and fellowships from the undergraduate through post doctorate level in nuclear and geochical science specialties directly relevant to

0:57:05 to 0:57:27( Edit History Discussion )

Paul Braun, Jr.: technical nuclear forensics. yet, mr. speaker, we must remember that forensics is only one component atribbution. it requires credible intelligence and law enforcement-style investigation. all of these components together comprise a credible atribbution program that will ensure against nuclear terrorism. the detonation of a nuclear

0:57:28 to 0:57:49( Edit History Discussion )

Paul Braun, Jr.: device in a populated region of this country would be catastrophic in the truest sense of the word. it is indeed my greatest fear. we must have a layered system of defenses to deter, detect, disrupt, and recover from terrorist attacks. this legislation will reinvigorate the scientific work force and improve our defenses against nuclear and radiological terrorism.

0:57:50 to 0:58:10( Edit History Discussion )

Paul Braun, Jr.: i urge my colleagues to support this bill and impve our much needed u.s. nuclear capability. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. carney: mr. speaker, i yield three minutes from california, the author of the bill, mr. schiff. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is mr. schiff: thank you, mr. speaker.

0:58:11 to 0:58:20( Edit History Discussion )

Paul Braun, Jr.: i'd like to thank and congratulate my colleagues on the homeland security committee and chairman thompson, my colleague from california, mr. lungren, i appreciate all their support.

0:58:21 to 0:58:43( Edit History Discussion )

Adam B. Schiff: the committee has taken an important step forward in preventing nuclear terrorism by persevering with this legislation. i appreciate all the hard work that's gone into it. countries around the world now have access to technology that was once the realm of the few. and dangerous nuclear materials are sprinkled around the world. it seems that each week brings evidence of the connection

0:58:40 to 1:02:20( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Adam B. Schiff

0:58:44 to 0:59:06( Edit History Discussion )

Adam B. Schiff: between north korea and serious nascent nuclear program and we are still unraveling the tes of the nuclear smuggling ring five years after it was uncovered. this is not a new problem. illicit nuclear material has been intercepted in transit out of the former soviet union many times since the end of the cold war, and the material we catch is surely just a small fraction