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"<p class=\"Website\">WASHINGTON, D.C. &mdash; U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill added an  amendment to the Weapons of Mass Destruction Prevention and Preparedness Act of  2009 that would prevent labs from doing research on high-risk biological agents  if they violate security requirements.</p><br /><p class=\"Website\">However, the overall bill was tabled until the relevant federal  agencies had an opportunity to address concerns about portions of the  legislation. The Democrat from Missouri opposed the delay.</p><br /><p class=\"Website\">McCaskill's amendment, which was unanimously accepted by the  Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee on Oct. 28, would give  authority to the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to suspend a  lab's ability to conduct research on high-risk agents if there are conditions at  the lab that do not meet strict security standards. The amendment would also  allow the federal government to suspend federal funding for such labs.</p><br /><p class=\"Website\">\"Our scientists are the best and the brightest in the world,  but if their labs do not follow strict security standards, Americans across the  board will be at risk,\" McCaskill said. </p><br /><p class=\"Website\">\"When we give taxpayer dollars to labs that have serious  security violations and are doing research on dangerous biological agents, we  are creating targets for terrorists and putting the safety of our nation at  risk. That cannot be allowed to continue.\"</p><br /><p class=\"Website\">McCaskill's amendment strengthens federal agency authority to  ensure labs most at risk for a terrorist attack have the necessary measures to  secure these dangerous agents. She first raised the idea at a hearing in  September, when the U.S. Government Accountability Office testified before the  committee that two of the five labs they investigated did not have the necessary  security measures to properly secure high-risk agents.</p>"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://bioprepwatch.com/stories/510506158-mccaskill-amendment-to-increase-security-at-research-labs>