WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House of Representatives, early this morning, adopted Rep. Lynn Woolsey’s amendment to H.R. 5005, the Homeland Security Act. Rep. Woolsey’s amendment will create an independent Homeland Security Institute. The Homeland Security Institute will provide invaluable scientific and technological guidance to senior government officials in the new Department of Homeland Security.

The Homeland Security Institute will be an independent, federally funded research and development center – a “think tank” style organization – that will contract with the department to provide objective analysis and advice on science and technology issues.

“An appropriate role for the institute would be to work with federal, state, and local agencies to develop the technology and implement the standards necessary to communicate effectively in a crisis,” said Rep. Lynn Woolsey. “The institute will help provide the depth and breadth of technical expertise necessary to help first responders and emergency personnel expeditiously respond to terrorist attacks.”

Its purpose is to provide technical guidance to the secretary across a full spectrum of activities -- from identifying R&D needs to deploying technologies, and even performing scenario-based tests to make sure proposed solutions work. The concept for a Homeland Security Institute is based on the key recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences’ June 2002 report, “Making the Nation Safer: the Role of Science and Technology in Countering Terrorism.”

“I am not convinced that the Homeland Security Act is the right way to approach the problem of terrorism,” said Rep. Lynn Woolsey, “but I believe the Homeland Security Institute will give us a better chance by bringing together the brightest minds of our time to prevent and respond to the greatest threat of our time – terrorist attack.”

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