October 1, 2001 Vol. 3, No. 30

This Week in WASHINGTON

For more information, contact Reva Price, Washington Representative, at rprice@thejcpa.org

Terrorism Debate Continues: Congress continues work this week seeking better ways to combat terrorism. The House Judiciary Committee could take action as early as Wednesday on legislation to expand law enforcement’s powers to identify, investigate and prosecute suspected terrorists. The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold another hearing on similar legislation, with a possible second appearance by Attorney General Ashcroft, but is not expected to "mark-up" the legislation and send it to the full Senate for at least another week. Both Houses will most likely reject proposals that include wider authority to conduct secret searches as well as provisions which would allow the government to use information from foreign governments’ wiretaps of US citizens, even if the wiretaps were unconstitutional. Meanwhile, congressional staff are rewriting provisions which would make it easier to seize voice mail as well as proposals which would allow the Attorney General to detain indefinitely non-citizens he deems to be security risks. JCPA and many of our partner agencies are monitoring these developments closely.

On related matters the Constitution, Federalism and Property Rights Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee chaired by Sen. Feingold (WI) will hold a hearing on ways to protect constitutional freedoms from infringement by counter-terrorism efforts. The Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee chaired by Sen. Harkin (Iowa) will hold a hearing on how the US government can fight against and prepare for, a terrorist attack involving biological weapons. The International Security, Proliferation and Federal Services Subcommittee of the Senate Government Affairs Committee chaired by Sen. Akaka (HI) will hold a hearing to discuss a new report by the Central Intelligence Agency addressing the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction and technology by foreign countries. In the House, the Africa Subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee, chaired by Congressman Royce (CA) will hold a classified briefing on threats to US security in Africa and the Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee chaired by Rep. Gilman (NY) will hold a hearing on US policy toward Iraq. The full International Affairs Committee chaired by Rep. Hyde (IL) will meet to discuss Al Qaeda and the global reach of terrorism. The National Security, Veterans Affairs and International Relations Subcommittee of the House Government Affairs Committee chaired by Rep. Shays (CT) will hold an oversight hearing on national strategies for combating terrorism. Rep. Shays will be speaking at the JCPA Board of Directors meeting in New York City on October 22.

Elsewhere on Capitol Hill: The United States Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (also known as the Helsinki Commission) will hold a hearing on Wednesday to examine US policy toward the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe exploring the OSCE as an instrument for advancing US interests and promoting shared values. The full Senate may vote on the fiscal 2002 Foreign Operations spending bill, which contains foreign aid for Israel and other US allies, by the end of the week. The House is scheduled to consider the farm overhaul bill by the end of the week. This legislation includes provisions dealing with food stamps. Meanwhile, the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) has launched a new Food Stamps Resource Center on their website which would provide information on how to better connect elderly people with the Food Stamp Program. For more information, contact www.frac.org/html/news/fsp/fselderlycenter.htm

First Monday in October: The Court begins its new term today with several important cases on the docket. Among the issues to be discussed are whether public funds in the form of school vouchers may be spent to educate students at parochial schools; whether mentally retarded persons may be subject to capital punishment; the scope of anti-discrimination law protecting people with disabilities; and a case which revisits the question of affirmative action in federal contracting.

This Week in NEW YORK

For more information, contact Benita Gayle-Almeleh, Director of Community Relations and Special Projects at bga@thejcpa.org

UN To Address Terrorism This Week: Beginning today, the UN General Assembly will meet in special session to focus on terrorism. 145 countries have already indicated their intention to speak to this subject. The session follows closely UN Security Council approval of a US resolution to require nations to freeze the assets of persons who have committed or attempted to commit terrorist acts. Secretary General Kofi Annan has also announced the appointment of five experts to insure that the sanctions imposed by the Security Council against the Taliban are being respected by UN member nations.

JCPA Meetings: Please plan to join us on Sunday, October 21 and Monday, October 22 for an extraordinary set of meetings to assess the impact of the recent terrorist attacks on the nation and our agenda. Contact info@thejcpa.org for more information.

Hag Sameach to all.