107th Congress
2nd Session
S.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 7, 2005
Introduced by Ms. Gina Goldblatt
S. A BILL
To assist the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in preventing Saudi Arabia from harboring Al
Queda and other terrorist groups.
Be it enacted by the Senate of the United States of America in the Congressional
Simulation assembled.
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Preventing Terrorist Groups from establishing cells in
Saudi Arabia Act of 2005”.
SECTION 2. PURPOSE.
The purpose of the bill is to prevent the spread international terrorism by assisting
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in establishing the Saudi Royal Homeland Security
Agency.
SECTION 3. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The spread of terrorism affects not only the United States but our allies as
well. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been the source of many terrorists
including several of those who attacked the World Trade Center. The United
States has enjoyed a good relationship with the Kingdom for many years.
(2) The government institutions currently combating terrorism in Saudi Arabia
are having a difficult time coping with a growing number of terrorist groups.
(3) The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not have a coordinated network of
agencies similar to the United States Department of Homeland Security.
(4) United States anti-terrorism efforts enjoy support in Saudi Arabia but are not
well coordinated.
(5) The Departments of State, Defense and Homeland Security and the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, and the Central Intelligence Agency have individual
programs to combat terrorism in Saudi Arabia.
(6) The incidence of terrorist acts on Saudi territory has increased by 22% since
2002.
SECTION 4. GOALS.
The goals of this Act are as follows:
(1) To establish a liaison mechanism between the governments of the United
States and the government of the Royal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in order to
assist the Royal Kingdom in creating the Royal Ministry of Homeland
Affairs.
(2) To provide training to Saudi government counterparts by U.S. experts from
the Departments of State and Defense and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, and the Central Intelligence Agency.
(3) To set up an appropriations accounts for the transfer of official Saudi funding
in Saudi the form of Saudi Riyals to enable U.S. and Saudi experts to consult
and establish the Royal Ministry of Homeland Affairs.
SECTION 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS
Salaries of United States Government employees will be funded out of current accounts
of the involved agencies and will not require any additional appropriations. The Saudi
government will, however, fund all international travel, per diem, and related
administrative expenses.
SECTION 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.
This Act, and the amendments made by the Act, shall take effect on December 1,
2005.
Press Release of Senator Goldblatt
Statement of Sen. Gina Goldblatt from Virginia
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
“The bill which is being introduced is designed to assist the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in
combating terrorism The way I propose this be done is by establishing the Royal Saudi
Ministry of Homeland Affairs. While this will not be a funded by the United States, our
effort will provide government personnel to help facilitate setting up the ministry and the
most effective and useful staff positions in the ministry. It is in the interest of both
countries to help stop terrorism. It is an issue that has affected both of our countries as
well as being a worldwide issue. If the creation of this Royal Ministry succeeds it would
be setting an excellent example for other countries to have a similarly focused ministry.
Together we can combat and put an end to the scourge of terrorism.”
October 11, 2005
Dear Colleague:
September 11, 2001 is a day that no one in this country will ever forget. It is a day
that united our country forever. It has been over 4 years since September 11, 2001 and we
must continue to remain vigilant about terrorism. We must work together with all
countries to put an end to terrorism.
Oil is an important part of the relationship with Saudi Arabia. The United States
receives a huge portion of its oil from Saudi Arabia. Therefore it is important that we
maintain a good relationship with the Saudis. The United States is a country that still has
a huge dependence on oil for everything from commuting to work to supporting our
industrial production. It is essential that the United States cooperate with Saudi Arabia
for regional stability and combating terrorism. The assistance is not going to be a
financial burden to the United Sates. Rather, it is going to involve training for setting up
government agencies that will enable the Saudi to combat terrorism.
The U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia and the successful establishment of an
anti terrorism agency in that nation can leverage Saudi Arabian influence on the
Roadmap to Peace. If local and global terrorism can be successfully dealt with, the
participants in the Arab Israeli conflict can focus on other issues. I intend to work closely
with AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) to assure this important
organization that this legislation can benefit all Americans.
I look forward to working with all of my colleagues in the Senate and hope to get
the legislation out of committee by the holiday recess in December and passed by both
Houses of Congress and signed by the President before the Spring recess of 2006.
Sincerely,
Gina Goldblatt
United States Senator, Virginia
Justification for Legislation
Gina Goldblatt
As a Senator from Virginia in this simulation, I am introducing this piece of
legislation because I am reacting to the priorities expressed by the voters of Virginia
(according to the poster session I class). The voters feel the after effects of 9/11 and
because many of them are either in the military or retired from the military a senator for
such a state would need to represent her constituents. I feel that there are still some
missing links in the global war on terrorism. One of these missing links is the country of
Saudi Arabia. This country is a missing link because it does much more than just provide
the United States with oil. This country’s government is very actively doing the best it
can to combat terrorism and make sure that extremists do not get the chance to carry out
another devastating terror attack on any country. They are of course most worried about
their own country because there is so much disaffection among the young adult
population. Saudi Arabia has to serve as the protector of the holiest sites of Islam. Thus
there is an entire theological connection to their politics. It is hard or even nearly to
separate religion from government in Saudi Arabia or in most Arabic / Muslim countries.
As a Democrat from a relatively conservative state I believe that this legislation
will make sense to my constituents who rate the president very highly in his war on
terrorism. However, I do not want to spend any additional money from the United States
Treasury due to our mounting federal deficit. I am confident I can the support of the
students whom are assuming the roles of fiscally conservative Democrats and
Republicans to support the creation of this new Saudi government agency. Since I have to
give them some additional justification I am telling them that I received positive feedback
from the Saudi Embassy in Washington. I need to provide this background information
because this piece of legislation is important in continuing to combat terrorism. People in
the country are getting frustrated with the government or ignoring the threat of terrorism.
I chose Saudi Arabia because so many Americans believe that it is one of the causes of
terrorism.
In terms of support from the rest of the participants in the simulation, I believe
that my fellow students from the Foreign Relations committee are likely to approve of
this legislation. There may be a few of them who may feel that we are getting to close to
Saudi Arabia at the expense of our relationship with Israel. This could be a potential
stumbling block. Due to the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq some of the students
may think this is a distraction to focusing the expertise of the United States Government
officials on these conflicts. On the other hand, I believe this legislation looks beyond the
wars and towards political rather than military solutions. I also believe that the students in
the entire simulation will also look favorably on this legislation since it does not cost any
money. I would assume that if they really represent their constituents they will agree that
terrorism is still the number one issue in the country. I also think that adding the sentence
in my letter to the senators about the Roadmap to Peace and working with AIPAC should
help calm any misgivings they may have.