Bush Budget Includes $6B for Bioterror Defense in 2003
President Bush announced on Jan. 24 that he would request about $38 billion to boost homeland security, including funds to improve the nation's response to bioterrorism, in his proposed fiscal year 2003 budget, the New York Times reports (Sanger, New York Times, 1/25). The $37.7 billion proposal -- "nearly double" the nation's spending on homeland security in FY 2002 -- would provide $6 billion for bioterrorism prevention, including research to develop new vaccines. In addition, the request includes $3.5 billion to train and provide equipment for police, fire and emergency medical technicians, a "ten-fold jump" from FY 2002 (Miller, Washington Post, 1/25). The $3.5 billion includes $1.1 billion to train emergency personnel to address chemical and biological attacks. Bush also said that he would use part of the $37.7 billion to improve the nation's public health system (Chen/Gold, Los Angeles Times, 1/25).
Funding for States
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson on Jan. 24 announced plans to begin to distribute $1.1 billion in FY 2002 funds, part of a $2.9 billion anti-bioterrorism bill that Congress passed last fall, to state and local governments to improve their public health systems (Washington Post, 1/25). HHS plans to release $200 million and withhold the "bulk of the money" until states submit "detailed preparedness plans" to improve their responses to biological attacks (Stolberg,
New York Times, 1/25). Each state must outline "how it will respond to a bioterrorism event and other outbreaks of infectious disease" and "how it will strengthen core public health capacities" (HHS release, 1/25). Governors and the federal government must approve the plans, which will likely require future federal funding (Carroll/Cummings, Wall Street Journal, 1/25). States must submit plans to HHS between March 15 and May 15 (HHS release, 1/25). Thompson said that HHS would use a formula to determine the amount that each state would receive (Stolberg, New York Times, 1/25). "This is only the first step of many to help states build a stronger and more responsive public health infrastructure in the event of a bioterror attack. The federal government is going to help states and communities build a better connected health system, thereby strengthening the ability to respond to an attack," Thompson said (HHS release, 1/25).
Additional Spending
HHS will use part of the $2.9 billion to provide $135 million to improve bioterrorism preparedness at hospitals. The
American Hospital Association, however, has estimated that hospitals would "need about $11 billion to be fully prepared." In addition, the agency will spend $1 billion to purchase doses of smallpox vaccine. The agency also hopes plans to expand research on biological agents, impose new food safety measures and develop a communication system linking federal, state and local health departments to improve the nation's bioterrorism preparedness (Wall Street Journal, 1/25).
Laboratory Security
The
New York Times reports that legislation passed in the House and Senate last month would require laboratories to impose "stricter" security measures, inventory lethal agents and deny some scientists access to the agents. Both versions of the Bioweapons Protection Act would require labs that house lethal agents to register with HHS, and the House version would require labs to register individual scientists. In addition, a provision in the Senate version of the bill would require genetic identification of the strains housed in each lab, which would "ease tracking of any material used in an eventual outbreak." House and Senate lawmakers will have to "iron out differences" in the bills in conference committee. Although researchers nationwide support legislation to "tighten access" to lethal agents, which "has generally been lax," they warned "against presuming the new laws would provide real protection against a deliberate release of a biological weapon" (Schemo, New York Times, 1/25).