Lawmakers Eye Bush Budget For High-Tech Security Funds

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has proposed the formation of an all-volunteer team of IT experts whose know-how could be harnessed in the event of another terrorist attack or cyberattack. The group would be called the National Emergency Technology Guard.

"I describe [this team as a technology equivalent of the National Guard," Wyden said Tuesday at a hearing of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space. He depicted the National Emergency Technology Guard as "a cadre of volunteers with the expertise to fix broken systems, create new networks and help prevent disasters wherever possible."

The subcommittee, which Wyden chairs, met Tuesday to discuss the creation a similar point of contact for bioterrorism experts, medical personnel and other professionals in the event of a bioterror attack. After Sept. 11, "so many people poured into New York and Northern Virginia and said, 'Here we are,' offering to help victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon," said Carol Guthrie, a Wyden spokeswoman. "In too many cases, they did not know where to go to offer help."

Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Science Committee, also has proposed funding for another klatch of IT experts, this time to thwart hackers. The House of Representatives is slated to consider Boehlert's legislation on Wednesday.

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The measure calls for $880 million for research into technology that would help safeguard critical computer networks from hackers. University researchers and private companies with security expertise would jointly develop the technology.