Mike Levin: “the bill before the Senate is an unusual piece of legislation. It comes to the Senate in an expedited fashion rarely…”

“the bill before the Senate is an unusual piece of legislation. It comes to the Senate in an expedited fashion rarely witnessed in this body. The so-called Chemical and Biological Weapons Threat Reduction Act has been presented as something of an alternative to or substitute for the Chemical Weapons Convention. In contrast, though, to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which has taken 3 rac{1}{2} years and counting to reach the Senate floor, S. 495 comes to us a mere 3 rac{1}{2} weeks following its introduction. The substitute amendment to S. 495 that the Senate is now considering--all 64 pages of bill language--was made available to Senators just a few hours ago. So it is so new, the substitute, that copies of the amendment are just practically warm to the touch. The CWC has undergone a thorough and rigorous evaluation in the Senate since its submission in November 1993, the subject of 17 hearings, dozens of witnesses, 1,500 pages of testimony, questions and answers, letters, reports, and other documentation. By contrast, the bill before us, S. 495, arrives fresh and green, never having been reported out of committee, never having been the subject of a single congressional hearing. This is not the way the Senate should consider important legislation, particularly given the gravity of the subject matter contained in this bill. S. 495 changes existing American law with respect to domestic law enforcement, criminal penalties, international sanctions, and export controls.”