After a House-Senate conference last week, congress approved a measure to supply an additional $60 million for security during the 2002 Olympic Games.

The funding, requested by Senator Bob Bennett, now only needs President Bush's signature.

Senator John McCain attempted to halt the action on the Senate floor.

"McCain has been opposed to federal involvement in the Olympics in the past," said Mary Jane Collipriest, communications director for Senator Bennett.

"It is difficult to understand why the need for Federal funding for safety and security purposes for the Olympic games has more than quadrupled since the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles and more than doubled since the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta," McCain said in the senate congressional record July 10th.

While the Senate debated the measure McCain offered an amendment which would have stripped the proposal of $30 million.

"We have already shelled out $1.3 billion in subsidies for the Salt Lake Olympics, far more than any other Olympics in history," McCain said, addressing the Senate.

Most members of the Senate, however, did not agree with McCain. Bennett's proposal passed 83-16 without McCain's amendment.

Now with the proposal likely to go through, the next step is to divvy the funds.

Collipriest said the funds for security measures such as these will be handled by the Department of the Treasury - which includes the United States Secret Service, Customs Service and Bureau of Acohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

The President's Budget for proposed Federal Support for the 2002 Winter Olympics and Paralympics lists all three Federal Organizations for proposed funding, with the Secret Service receiving the most.

Agent Jim Mackin, public affairs official for the Secret Service, did not disclose what the Secret Service would use the money for.

"We don't want somebody out there who has something harmful in mind who'd be able to put a pen or pencil together and figure out where we're spending our money, where we're not, and where we're vulnerable or where we're not," Mackin said.

Mackin also said he didn't know exactly how security precautions differed between the 1996 Olympics and the 2002 Olympics, because the Secret Service had a minor role in the security organization for the Atlanta Games.

"Some of the lessons that we learned in Atlanta are being put into place," he said.



Copyright Brigham Young University 25 Jul 2001