Patrick Kennedy: “I rise in support of the BioShield legislation, and commend the committees for their diligence in meeting the challenge…”

“I rise in support of the BioShield legislation, and commend the committees for their diligence in meeting the challenge of bioterrorism. While this bill is an important step in ensuring our nation's preparedness for bioterrorism, I am concerned that it does not fully meet our needs. This act does well in raising our defenses against the ``bio,'' but does nothing to defend against the ``terror.'' Mr. Speaker, the point of all terrorism, including bioterrorism, is not primarily to inflict physical damage, but to undermine our social, political, and economic vibrancy. Whether terrorists succeed depends not only on our ability to prevent or mitigate the physical impact of their acts, but whether we can prevent or mitigate the paralysis, panic, and demoralization they seek to create. Tom Kean, Rudolph Giuliani, the National Academy of Sciences, first responders, and others have talked about the need to build resilience in our communities. Our preparedness efforts must include plans to ensure that officials' communications calm instead of panic. We need to make sure that the public, first responders, teachers, and others have the proper information delivered in an appropriate way about threats, safety measures, and emergency plans. If we do not specifically address the social and behavioral impacts of terrorism and the threat of terrorism, the measure we debate today and our other preparations will not be as effective as they could be.”