Security Enhancement Act of 2003
Latest action · Nov 17, 2003 Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 392.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedNov 14, 2003
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Security Enhancement Act of 2003 - Radiological Terrorism Threat Reduction Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) propose that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conclude agreements with up to eight countries that would provide temporary secure storage for orphaned, unused, surplus, or other radioactive sources (other than special nuclear material, nuclear fuel, or spent nuclear fuel); and (2) make voluntary contributions to the IAEA for use by its Department of Nuclear Safety (DNS) to fund the U.S. share (which may be 100 percent) of the costs of activities associated with or under such agreements.
Declares that the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 shall not apply with respect to any temporary secure storage facility constructed outside the United States under such an agreement, but any applicable environmental laws of the host country shall apply.
Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) provide assistance, including through voluntary contributions to the IAEA, to support a program of the DNS Division of Radiation and Waste Safety to promote the discovery, inventory, and recovery of radioactive sources in IAEA member nations; and (2) assist the Government of the Russian Federation to substitute solar (or other non-nuclear) power sources for radioisotope thermal power units operated by it and by other independent states of the former Soviet Union in applications such as lighthouses in the Arctic, remote weather stations, and for providing electricity in remote locations.
Authorizes the Secretary to assist foreign countries, or to propose that the IAEA assist foreign countries, in the development of appropriate national radioactive material hazard response plans and the training of first responders.
Requires the Secretary to report to the appropriate congressional committees on: (1) the preparations made at U.S. diplomatic missions abroad to detect and mitigate a radiological attack on such missions and other U.S. facilities under the Secretary's control; (2) the Secretary's priorities for improving radiological security and consequence management at U.S. missions; and (3) the missions where such improvement is most important.
Global Pathogen Surveillance Act of 2003 - Declares that priority for U.S. assistance to eligible developing countries under this title shall be given to those countries that permit personnel from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) to: (1) investigate outbreaks of infectious diseases on their territories; (2) provide early notification of such outbreaks; and (2) provide pathogen surveillance data to appropriate U.S. departments and agencies in addition to international health organizations (including WHO and the Pan American Health Organization).
Prohibits to foreign nationals participating in programs authorized under this title any access to select agents that may be used as, or in, a biological weapon, except in a supervised and controlled setting.
Establishes a fellowship program under which the Secretary shall award fellowships to eligible nationals (including, on a case-by-case basis, U.S. citizens) to pursue specified public health education or training. Requires foreign recipients, upon completion of such education or training, to return to their countries of nationality or last habitual residence (if it is an eligible developing country) and complete at least four years of employment in a public health position in the government or a nongovernmental, not-for-profit entity in that country or, with the Secretary's approval, through service with an international health organization without geographic restriction.
Directs the Secretary to support short training courses in-country (not in the United States) for laboratory technicians and other public health personnel from eligible developing countries in laboratory techniques of: (1) identification, diagnosis, and tracking of pathogens responsible for possible infectious disease outbreaks; and (2) syndrome surveillance reporting and rapid analysis of syndrome information using Geographic Information System (GIS) and other Internet-based tools.
Authorizes the President to furnish assistance to eligible developing countries to purchase and maintain specified: (1) public health laboratory equipment; and (2) communications equipment and information technology necessary to collect, analyze, and transmit public health information effectively.
Authorizes a Federal agency head, upon specified request, to assign to a U.S. mission or organization any agency officer or employee occupying a public health position to enhance disease and pathogen surveillance efforts in developing countries.
Requires the CDCP and the Department of Defense each to: (1) increase the number of personnel assigned to their laboratories in eligible developing countries that conduct research and other activities with respect to infectious diseases; and (2) expand the operations of those laboratories, especially with respect to implementation of on-site training of foreign nationals and regional outreach efforts involving neighboring countries.
Authorizes the President to provide assistance to: (1) enhance the surveillance and reporting capabilities of WHO and existing regional health networks; and (2) develop new regional health networks.
Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish new country or regional Foreign Epidemiology Training Programs in eligible developing countries.
Authorizes the President to transfer certain naval vessels to specified foreign countries.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Nov 14, 2003.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-DE | Joseph R. Biden Jr. | Original | Nov 14, 2003 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Nov 17, 2003Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 392.
- Nov 14, 2003Introduced in Senate
- Nov 14, 2003Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1864 | Security Enhancement Act of 2003 | Related bill | Nov 17, 2003 |
| S 1865 | Security Enhancement Act of 2003 | Related bill | Nov 17, 2003 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Alternative energy sources
- Americans in foreign countries
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Belarus
- Biological warfare
- Communicable diseases
- Communication in medicine
- Congress
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Developing countries
- EBB Terrorism
- Education
- Electronic data interchange
- Embassies
- Emergency Management
- Emergency medicine
- Environmental Protection
- Epidemiology
- Estonia
- Federal aid to education
- Federal installations
- Former Soviet states
- Geographic information systems
- Georgia (Republic)
- Government Operations and Politics
- Graduate education
- Hazardous wastes
- Health
- Health education
- Health information systems
- Health surveys
- Higher education
- Information technology
- International Affairs
- International agencies
- International control of nuclear power
- Inventories
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laboratories
- Latvia
- Law
- Lithuania
- Maintenance and repair
- Medical education
- Medical laboratories
- Medical supplies
- Medical technology
- Military assistance
- Military operations
- Moldova
- Nuclear energy research
- Nuclear power plants
- Nuclear security measures
- Nuclear terrorism
- Portugal
- Public health
- Public health personnel
- Radiation
- Radiation safety
- Radioactive wastes
- Radioisotopes
- Rescue work
- Russia
- Scholarships
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Scientific instruments and apparatus
- Solar energy
- State-sponsored terrorism
- Storage
- Surplus government property
- Tajikistan
- Terrorism
- Turkmenistan
- Ukraine
- Uzbekistan
- Warships
- Weapons of mass destruction
- World health
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.