U.S. Senate Democratic Policy Committee Background Brief 



The President Sends Terrorism Bill to the Hill



Urging prompt and bipartisan action on legislation to strengthen thisNation's ability to 

combat terrorism, President Clinton sent his anti-terrorism bill to Congress. On Friday in 

the Senate, Senators Daschle andBiden introduced the President's bill.  This legislation 

will strengthenFederal law enforcement agencies and sharpen their ability to crack 

downon terrorists, whether home or abroad, by arming law enforcementofficials with:



* new investigative tools;

* increased enforcement powers; and,

* tougher penalties.



These additional authorities will give Federal law enforcement agencies awider range of 

tools to combat terrorism more effectively withoutundermining or curtailing the 

constitutional rights of law-abidingAmericans.Bipartisan action necessary.  Democrats 

believe that Congress must movequickly to provide the American people with these 

security enhancements. Democrats are committed to working in a bipartisan fashion on 

these andother narrowly tailored proposals that can be enacted without divisivedebate.  

The American people want this and are waiting for action.The President's Anti-terrorism 

ProposalHighlights of the President's bill:



* Federal jurisdiction over international terrorism.  Creates a new Federalcrime of 

international terrorism, giving the U.S. government clearer andmore comprehensive 

jurisdiction over offenses related to such terrorism.



* Enhanced investigative tools for the FBI.  Provides the FBI enhanced access to various 

consumer records, such as credit and financial reports,telephone bills, and hotel records, 

in foreign counter-terrorisminvestigations.  In addition, it applies the same standards to 

the FBI forcounter-terrorism cases as are used in criminal cases for orders thatpermit the 

FBI to use pen registers and trap and trace devices in investigations.  These devices 

simply capture phone numbers dialed,similar to the caller ID device that many people use 

in their own homes.



* Enhanced penalties.  Creates a ten-year mandatory minimum for personstransferring a 

firearm or explosive, who know or have reason to know itwill be used to commit a crime 

of violence or drug trafficking; andprovides enhanced penalties for terrorist attacks 

against all current andformer Federal Employees.



* Tracing agents.  Authorizes the Treasury Department to promulgateregulations that 

require that chemical tracing agents, taggants, be addedto standard explosive raw 

materials which will permit tracing thematerials post-explosion, and requires a study of 

whether other commonchemicals, often used to make explosives, can be made less 

dangerous.



* Chemical markers.  Requires manufacturers of plastic explosives toinclude a chemical 

marker in their product that will enable detection bybomb-sniffer dogs or high-tech

 airport sensors.



* Military assistance.  Allows the military to assist Federal lawenforcement in cases 

involving chemical and biological weapons, whichare areas in which the military has 

expertise.  This extends an existing authorization for use of the military in cases involving 

nuclear materials.



* Digital telephony.  Funds the implementation of the digital telephonylaw, so that the 

ability of law enforcement to carry out court-orderedelectronic surveillance would not be 

impeded by the advanced technology of digital transmission now used by the phone 

companies.