Nancy Pelosi: “One of the challenges, Mr. Chairman, that has been of particular prominence in the minds of all Americans since…”

“One of the challenges, Mr. Chairman, that has been of particular prominence in the minds of all Americans since September 11 has been the threat of bioterrorism. On the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where I serve as the ranking Democrat, we have studied the threat posed by biological and chemical agents and our ability to respond. Great strides have been made in recent years, but we must strengthen the ability of the public health infrastructure to detect and contain an attack and treat its victims. This bill provides an increase of $60 million to improve surveillance and strengthen our medical response. In addition, $20 million has been included for pilot projects to explore the feasibility of developing a Nationwide Health Tracking Network among all States to identify and track disease and related environmental factors.”