Lieberman, Connecticut
Families of September 11th Victims Rally Behind Commission
Bill
Senator Offers Commission
Bill as Amendment
to Homeland Security Legislation
September 19,
2002
WASHINGTON - Senate Governmental Affairs
Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., joined with
Connecticut families of September 11th victims to push for
quick passage of legislation to create a blue-ribbon
commission to investigate the September 11th attacks.
"Momentum [for the commission] is
building in our direction," Lieberman said. "It is
building as a result of ongoing disclosure of information
(from the joint house-Senate Intelligence Committee hearings).
But it is also building because of the persistent advocacy of
the families - the heroes that are here with us today."
Joining Lieberman and three other
co-sponsors of the bill - Senators John McCain, R-Ariz., Bob
Torricelli, D-N.J., and Arlen Specter, R-Pa. - were Mary
Fetchet of New Canaan, Beverly Eckert of Stamford, and Monica
Gabrielle from the New Haven area.
Senator Lieberman asserted that the ability
of the nation to learn from its mistakes would be reflected in
the creation of a commission, which he proposed as an
amendment to the homeland security bill Thursday afternoon.
"I am confident that we have the
support to adopt it, and when we get this commission up and
working, and it finishes its work, we can say with much more
confidence than we can now, that this will never happen
again," Lieberman said.
The Commission bill was originally
introduced by Lieberman and McCain in December 2001. The
Governmental Affairs Committee, which Lieberman chairs, held a
hearing on the bill in February and reported it out in March.
The legislation, which has 23 co-sponsors,
would establish a commission composed of prominent citizens,
expert in the fields the commission would investigate. An even
number of members would be chosen by Democratic and Republican
leaders in the House and Senate. The commission would be
charged with investigating a range of issues that might have
led up to the September 11th attacks, including the role of
intelligence agencies, law enforcement agencies, commercial
aviation, the flow of assets to terrorist networks,
immigration, border patrol, and diplomacy |