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First Congressional District of New Mexico
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ask.heather@mail.house.gov

In Washington DC
442 Cannon House
Office Building
Washington, DC
20515
202-225-6316 Phone
202-225-4975 Fax
In Albuquerque
20 First Plaza NW
Suite 603
Albuquerque, NM
87102
505-346-6781 Phone
505-346-6723 Fax

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Congresswoman Heather Wilson, First Congressional District of New Mexico


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Wilson Bio-terrorism Provisions Expected to Pass House Tonight December 11, 2001
 
Provisions will improve laboratory capabilities to respond to national emergencies
Washington, DC - Congresswoman Heather Wilson announced today that the House is expected to pass a bio-terrorism bill that includes several provisions she spearheaded. The bill will provide badly needed support for public and private health care systems throughout America’s communities, ensuring our national capacity to respond to public health emergencies, including bio-terrorism. The bill will improve communication among all levels of government, public health officials, first responders, and health care facilities, and will direct resources to the education and training of health care personnel. “America is fighting a war today on many fronts and we can’t ignore the fact that all Americans are now on the front lines as we go on about our daily lives,” said Wilson. “In the past three months, we have come to realize that the threat of bio-terrorism is very real, and it’s time to fill the gaps in our nation’s bio-defense, surveillance systems, and public health infrastructure.” Among Wilson’s priorities that passed the House is an upgrade of federal laboratories and improvement of the capacity of public health laboratories to respond to emergencies. Labs across the nation were overwhelmed by the recent anthrax exposures. The House-passed bill requires the establishment of a coordinated network of public health laboratories and gives priority to projects that include State or local government financial commitments. Another provision Wilson worked to secure is expanded genetic analysis of pathogens by National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) laboratories. NNSA laboratories such as Los Alamos National Laboratory have been coordinating efforts to sequence the genetic make-up of pathogens such as anthrax. By having an accurate “encyclopedia” of different strains investigators will be able to pinpoint the origins of pathogens as well as determine genetic engineering or drug resistance. Many agencies such as DOE have been developing technologies that can detect or prevent bio-terrorist attacks, yet these technologies are not utilized as quickly as possible. The bio-terrorism bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to evaluate new and emerging technologies to detect, identify and diagnose bio-terrorism events. This legislation is an important and timely response to the increased threat of bio-terrorism,” said Wilson. “Our nation faces an unprecedented challenge and we must work tirelessly toward securing the safety of our citizens.”
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