Homeland Security Watch

News and analysis of critical issues in homeland security

September 9, 2009

Lieberman and Collins push bioterror bill

Filed under: Biosecurity — by Philip J. Palin on September 9, 2009

Yesterday Senators Lieberman and Collins, chairman and ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, introduced  the Weapons of Mass Destruction Prevention and Preparedness Act of 2009.

Senator Lieberman explained, “Our bill would strengthen security at labs using the most dangerous pathogens, improve our capabilities to assess the threat of terrorists acquiring WMD, ensure that citizens get critical safety information, and develop a means for quickly delivering life-saving drugs to areas that have been attacked.”

According to a joint statement available on the Senate Committee’s website, the legislation would also,

  • Require HHS to designate the most dangerous pathogens which have significant potential to be used effectively in a biological attack.
  • Require DHS to set new security standards for labs using the most dangerous pathogens, including risk assessments, personnel reliability programs, and staff training.
  • Require a national strategy for dispensing antibiotics and other medicines to the public and expand a pilot program for using the Postal Service to dispense them. 
  • Require communications plans to convey instructions to the public – including whether to evacuate or shelter-in-place – in the critical moments after an attack.
  • Support a National Bioforensics Analysis Center to identify the perpetrator of a WMD attack rapidly. 
  • Provide personal medical kits to emergency responders in order to enable them to respond quickly to a WMD attack without jeopardizing their own safety. 
  • Require DHS and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to provide better terrorism threat and risk assessments to the public.
  • Promote citizen and community preparedness for WMD attacks, including by authorizing grants to States.

The  bill is not yet available via the Thomas website. The Senate Committee’s website  provides a pdf of  the proposed legislation.

September 5, 2009

A personal story of H1N1

Filed under: Biosecurity — by Philip J. Palin on September 5, 2009

September 2, 2009

H1N1: I never promised you a rose garden

Filed under: Biosecurity — by Philip J. Palin on September 2, 2009

August 26, 2009

H1N1 mitigation by process of elimination

Filed under: Biosecurity, Preparedness and Response — by Philip J. Palin on August 26, 2009

August 19, 2009

“Every pediatrician, internist and public health official is cross-eyed”

Filed under: Biosecurity, Preparedness and Response — by Philip J. Palin on August 19, 2009

August 15, 2009

This weekend: Save the world from X flu

Filed under: Biosecurity — by Philip J. Palin on August 15, 2009

August 12, 2009

Pandemic planning and communicating: Not too hard nor too soft, but just right

Filed under: Biosecurity, Preparedness and Response — by Philip J. Palin on August 12, 2009

August 5, 2009

Public health: unilateral disarmament

Filed under: Biosecurity, Budgets and Spending, State and Local HLS — by Philip J. Palin on August 5, 2009

July 29, 2009

CCMRF: Constitutional Consequence Management Response Force

Filed under: Biosecurity, Chemical Security, Homeland Defense, Radiological & Nuclear Threats — by Philip J. Palin on July 29, 2009

July 10, 2009

H1N1: Preparing to be resilient

Filed under: Biosecurity, Preparedness and Response, State and Local HLS, Strategy — by Philip J. Palin on July 10, 2009

July 1, 2009

H1N1 continues its emergence

Filed under: Biosecurity — by Philip J. Palin on July 1, 2009

June 11, 2009

WHO counts to six

Filed under: Biosecurity, Preparedness and Response — by Philip J. Palin on June 11, 2009

May 20, 2009

The DAILY NEWS panics over H1N1

Filed under: Biosecurity, Preparedness and Response — by Philip J. Palin on May 20, 2009

May 18, 2009

WHO does NOT move up pandemic alert

Filed under: Biosecurity, Preparedness and Response, Strategy — by Philip J. Palin on May 18, 2009

May 6, 2009

Flu threat continues to evolve

Filed under: Biosecurity — by Philip J. Palin on May 6, 2009

April 25, 2009

Scanning swine flu story for risk communications lessons

Filed under: Biosecurity, Preparedness and Response — by Philip J. Palin on April 25, 2009

April 24, 2009

Swine flu: sprinting to tackle a viral end run

Filed under: Biosecurity — by Philip J. Palin on April 24, 2009

April 22, 2009

Earth Day and the boundaries of Homeland Security, as a proper noun

Filed under: Biosecurity, Organizational Issues, Preparedness and Response, Strategy, Terrorist Threats & Attacks — by Philip J. Palin on April 22, 2009

April 21, 2009

A Way To Prevent A Pandemic Decades Before It Starts?

Filed under: Biosecurity, International HLS, Preparedness and Response — by Christopher Bellavita on April 21, 2009

April 18, 2009

Two adult women diagnosed with avian flu in Egypt

Filed under: Biosecurity — by Philip J. Palin on April 18, 2009

March 6, 2009

Faint Praise for Pandemic Preparedness

Filed under: Biosecurity — by Philip J. Palin on March 6, 2009

August 11, 2008

Case Not Closed: The Government Must Provide Answers to Lingering Questions from Ivins Case

Filed under: Biosecurity, Investigation & Enforcement, Terrorist Threats & Attacks — by PJCrowley on August 11, 2008

August 1, 2008

Anthrax Attack Suspect Dead

Filed under: Biosecurity, Terrorist Threats & Attacks — by Jonah Czerwinski on August 1, 2008

July 16, 2008

Obama Sets Top National Security Priorities

Filed under: Biosecurity, Cybersecurity, Radiological & Nuclear Threats, Strategy — by Jonah Czerwinski on July 16, 2008

June 6, 2007

National Bio and Agro-defense Facility Mark Up Today

Filed under: Biosecurity, Organizational Issues — by Jonah Czerwinski on June 6, 2007

December 13, 2006

Llama blood vs. bioterrorism?

Filed under: Biosecurity — by Christian Beckner on December 13, 2006

Report assesses public health preparedness

Filed under: Biosecurity, Preparedness and Response — by Christian Beckner on December 13, 2006

December 12, 2006

Congress passes new biosecurity legislation

Filed under: Biosecurity, Congress and HLS — by Christian Beckner on December 12, 2006
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