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REMARKS BY:	TOMMY G. THOMPSON, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN RESOURCES	
PLACE:		National Council of State Legislatures, Washington, D.C.
DATE:		December 7, 2001

Thanks to Bill Pound for his wonderful leadership of the NCSL here in Washington. And I'm glad to see a number of my friends from the Wisconsin legislature here, as well.

Let me begin by thanking each of you for your wonderful work in supporting the President and the men and women of our armed forces in the days since September 11th. Many of you have passed resolutions in support of the Administration's efforts and all of us stand united in our common commitment to end international terrorism.

As President Bush said just last week, "It must bother (our enemies) greatly to know we're such a free and wonderful place -- a place where all religions can flourish; a place where women are free; a place where children can be educated ... But," said the President, "that's what we're going to keep doing, because that's what America is about."

Our love of our country has only deepened since September 11th. If I were to go around this room, I could call on any one of you to share riveting stories of patriotism and compassion, stories about the men and women and children in the cities and communities you represent working to help the victims of the attacks . sending aid to hungry children in Afghanistan . praying for our nation, our leaders and our service men and women.

We've gained a new appreciation for the people who keep our streets safe and our homes secure. We've been reminded of the sacrifice that's an inherent part of being a firefighter, a law officer, a postal worker or a paramedic.

The quiet heroism of these public servants became visible to all of us on September 11th and the days following it. We were humbled by the knowledge that men and women in uniform, on our streets and in our firehouses, stand ready to give what Abraham Lincoln called "the last full measure of devotion" for us.

Our pride also swells when we consider the men and women of our nation's armed force. Osama bin Ladin is on the run, jumping from cave to cave, trying to stay one step ahead of the greatest warriors on earth - our military's special forces . and the United States Marines.

The leaders of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban are fleeing in fear, but they are hiding in vain. They have but two alternatives - surrender, and face justice, or run, and face death. As General Eisenhower once said, "It is a grievous error to forget for one second the might and power of this great republic." Our enemies forgot. But they have been compelled to remember.

Even as our foes should beware, we are not letting our guard down. We at the Department of Health and Human Services have taken and continue to take steps to make sure that we will be ready if biological terror is unleashed on America.

Since I arrived in Washington a short 10 months ago, we have assembled the greatest collection of doctors and scientists in the world to work on bioterrorism preparedness. From the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control to the National Institutes of Health and the HHS headquarters here in Washington, we're all working continuously to strengthen our nation's preparedness.

This past summer, I appointed Dr. Scott Lillibridge of the CDC to head the bioterrorism office at HHS headquarters in Washington. Since September 11th, I've appointed Dr. D.A. Henderson, who spearheaded our successful efforts to eliminate smallpox, to head our Office of Public Health Preparedness. And under Dr. Henderson, Dr. Jerry Hauer, formerly the head of New York City's emergency preparedness effort, is working on emergency preparedness at HHS . Dr. Mike Asher is working on enhancing the diagnostic capabilities of our labs . and Dr. Phil Russell is focusing on better vaccines for infectious diseases.

We've got a tremendous team in place. Our entire effort, across the board, is being led by a very dedicated President. As you know, President Bush has focused with great intensity on responding to and preventing bioterrorism. The branches of the federal government have worked together admirably, and, under the leadership of my good friend Tom Ridge, who I know has spoken with you already, I believe their coordination is improving each day.

As you know, local and state governments bear much of the initial burden and responsibility for providing an effective response by medical and public health professionals to a terrorist attack on the civilian population. If the disease outbreak reaches any significant magnitude, however, local resources will be overwhelmed, and the federal government will be required to provide protective and responsive measures for the affected populations.

That's why HHS is working on a number of fronts to assist our partners at the state and local level, including state and local governments, local hospitals and medical practitioners, to deal with the effects of biological, chemical, and other terrorist acts.

Now, I know from my experience as governor that we just haven't invested enough in our public health department. But the painful events of September 11th have focused our attention and energy on building a public health infrastructure that is capable of addressing our needs, both in a time of crisis and in the normal course of life.

We've begun building that kind of infrastructure, and the success of our work is becoming more and more evident as we foster an integrated approach with all of our partners in this effort. And our ability to act with both dispatch and effectiveness will be enhanced by passage of the President's funding request to strengthen our anti-bioterrorism efforts in the aftermath of September 11th.

The President has requested an additional $1.5 billion for next year to strengthen our ability to prevent and respond to a bioterrorist attack, as part of a $40 billion homeland defense package. All totaled, we are seeking $1.9 billion for our bioterrorism preparedness efforts.

This is an unprecedented investment in America's public health infrastructure, and President Bush deserves credit for making such a bold investment when there are so many other worthy demands on limited federal resources.

We've grown stronger and better prepared, and our resolve will only deepen in coming months. With these additional resources, we can place greater attention on our efforts to strengthen the public health system, provide the medicines we need in case of a major crisis, improve our health communications network, improve food safety and safeguard Americans in cities and small towns, in urban and rural areas, from any terrorist attack.

As of September 30th, the Office of Emergency Preparedness - a branch of the Department of Health and Human Services - has contracted with 97 municipalities to develop Metropolitan Medical Response Systems. We are requesting a total of $70 million for the MMRS in the next fiscal year. Part of that funding will be used to target 25 additional cities for bioterrorism-related planning and help them improve their medical response capabilities. That will make a total of 122 major metropolitan areas better prepared to handle whatever our enemies try to throw at us.

Our Health Alert Network is a nationwide program to establish the communications, information and organizational infrastructure that will link local health departments to one another and to other organizations critical to preparedness and rapid response. Included will be community state health departments, first-responders, hospital and private laboratories, the CDC and other federal agencies.

We're also building up our stockpiles of vaccines. Last week, I concluded a deal to purchase a total of roughly 155 million smallpox vaccinations, bringing our total to 286 million - enough for every American. We've already begun substantially increasing our quantity of antibiotics. Accruing these vaccines and pharmaceuticals will help ensure the safety of your communities, but that safety will be enhanced as we continue to work with state and local governments to develop a more effective method for distributing medicines once they are delivered to your communities.

One of our goals is to assist state and local health departments achieve 24/7 capacity to receive and act upon health alerts. The President's proposal includes $65 million to enable state and local health authorities to develop and implement plans to distribute medicines from the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile in case of a bioterrorist attack. Another $57 million is devoted to placing portions of the Stockpile within the states.

In addition, every state should have at least one federally funded epidemiologist who has been trained in the CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service training program. The President's budget will accomplish this goal. Currently, there are 42 EIS officers in 24 States. I'm also committed to placing an EIS officer in every county with a population of over 500,000.

The President is also calling for an additional $20 million for the CDC's internal lab capacity, including its Rapid Response and Advance Technology and specialty labs, which provide quick identification of suspected agents and technical assistance to state labs.

We're also providing an additional $15 million to support increased capacity in no less than 78 state and local laboratories. This funding will enhance our ability to identify and detect critical biological agents.

But a better emergency infrastructure and more vaccines are only part of the equation. Many of us are deeply concerned with food safety. Right now, we only inspect one percent of all the food imported into the United States - one percent. Needless to say, that's not good enough.

So, the President is requesting $61 million to enhance the frequency and the quality of imported food inspections and to modernize the import data system to enable us to detect tainted food. The Administration's request for additional funding also includes $46 million to provide for 410 new FDA inspectors to help ensure that our food supply is better protected, especially at the border.

There's really only one bottom line: the chief priority of the Department of Health and Human Services is to protect the nation's health. Our Centers for Disease Control is focusing on building a solid public health infrastructure with states and local governments to protect the health of every citizen.

This demands not only the best available medicines and the best-trained personnel. It requires continuous vigilance. It means that all of us have to be on the lookout, not in excessive fear but with a sober-minded appreciation for the gravity of the dangers confronting us. The painful reality is that the arsenal of terrorism may include biological, chemical, and radiological agents as well as conventional and non- conventional weapons, as the attack on the World Trade Center so vividly attests.

To confront this arsenal effectively, the federal government is taking significant steps, such as those that I have just described. As I said, we are making an unprecedented investment in bioterrorism preparedness. But it must not be a one-time investment. As a nation, we must commit annually to building our public health infrastructure and strengthening our preparedness for bioterrorist attacks.

We intend to lead that effort in this Administration, and to do so as your partners. No matter what steps Washington takes, they will be inadequate unless similar strong steps taken at the local and state levels accompany them.

Unlike any other issue, when it comes to preparing America to respond to bioterrorism, a strong and unwavering partnership with federal, state and local governments is essential. If there is a weakness in that partnership, and all partners are not pulling their weight, then the health of all of our citizens is at risk.

Let me be clear: We're in this together and need each other to effectively protect the American people. At the state level, your work is absolutely vital to the ability of our country to respond to terrorist threats. We can be proud of how local, state and federal governments have worked together in the current crisis. But we must remain committed and equal partners.

Many of you have reviewed the Model Emergency Health Powers Act we have provided you for dealing with terrorism. The model law, which was developed by public health experts at Georgetown and Johns Hopkins Universities and was encouraged in its development by the NCSL and the National Governors Association, is exactly that - a model, not a mandate. It is designed to help you craft your own legislation according to the unique needs of your own states. I was a governor for 14 years. If I learned one thing during that time, it's that Wisconsin is not New Jersey . and New Jersey is not North Carolina. Each state is different.

The model law provides a foundation upon which each of your states can develop emergency legislation that best protects it and, thereby, helps protect America.

Our goal is to develop a consensus-based model legislation to assist states that are considering new emergency public health legislation. States may adopt any or all of the resulting model legislation, as well as tailor it to meet their individual needs.

Of course, some of you already have outstanding laws on the books or are working to improve those that exist. In many states, you are working to revise your existing public health laws in order to give the governor and key public health officials the legal ability to act promptly and effectively in case of a bioterrorist attack.

Putting it simply, we need not only a strong public health infrastructure and a full stockpile of medical resources, but also the legal and emergency tools to protect our citizens in a time of crisis. That's true at both the federal and state levels.

As legislators, you need to make sure your states have the tools and authority to respond quickly and effectively. Partnership is not dictatorship. We don't want to issue a bunch of rules and then tell you to implement them.

We are stepping forward, and we need you to stand shoulder to shoulder with us as we move ahead. We need states to make bioterrorism preparedness a priority and invest the time, expertise and resources to make sure you are prepared.

The kind of work I'm describing demands much from us but even more from the citizens we represent. We can be grateful that Americans are not a timid people. As Winston Churchill said of the men and women who traveled across the Atlantic to begin new lives in the New World, "We have not journeyed across the centuries, across the oceans, across the mountains, across the prairies, because we are made of sugar candy."

He was right: There is nothing sugarcoated about the American spirit. We are strong and resilient, a people whose character has been molded not by the ease of modern life but in the forge of war. We have been tested yet again and, as we always have, we have been found to be a people of courage and conviction, a nation that unites when attacked and fights back with unimaginable force to sustain our security and our liberty.

Thank you again for letting me be with you. May God bless all of you, and may He always bless America. I'll be glad to take some questions.

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