Mark Kirk: “Today the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Tauscher) and I will introduce the Global Pathogen Surveillance Act of 2003.…”

“Today the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Tauscher) and I will introduce the Global Pathogen Surveillance Act of 2003. Identical to the Biden-Lugar bill in the Senate, it will assist in fighting the threats of bioterrorism and naturally-occurring infectious diseases. International trade and travel offer new opportunities for pathogens to cross national borders. Infectious disease epidemics, wherever they occur, are a potential threat to all nations. Americans have become all too familiar with the threat from bioterrorism and deadly agents capable of spreading death, anthrax, Ebola, smallpox, and SARS. They are just the most recent examples. The Kirk-Tauscher bill authorizes $150 million over 2 years to assist developing countries to train personnel in epidemiological techniques, acquire laboratory equipment, and obtain equipment to communicate inside the country and with the World Health Organization. Our legislation has the strong support of Dr. David Heymann, the highest-ranking American at the World Health Organization. It will contribute to our homeland security while at the same time making other countries safer for Americans traveling abroad.”