Katko’s airport employee screening enhancement bill advances House
The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed this week the Aviation Employee Screening and Security Enhancement Act, authored by U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY), which aims to strengthen security at the nation’s airports by providing enhanced screening procedures for airport and aviation... Read More »House advances bill incorporating children’s needs into future disaster planning initiatives
The U.S. House of Representatives passed this week the Homeland Security for Children Act, which requires future disaster preparedness planning initiatives to include the needs of children as well. The bill was introduced by U.S. Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ). “Children are not tiny... Read More »
Sens. Rubio, Coons introduce airport counterterrorism screening bill
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced this week the Counterterrorism Screening and Assistance Act, which aims to strengthen national security by coordinating with foreign partners to identify international airport vulnerabilities that could allow a potential terrorist to... Read More »
Sen. Cruz introduces EL CHAPO Act to use forfeited drug assets to pay for border security
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Tuesday introduced the Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to Provide Order (EL CHAPO) Act, which reserves forfeited assets from drug lords to pay for various security measures along the U.S.-Mexico border, including President Trump’s proposed border wall.... Read More »New coalition to create vaccines targeting infectious diseases that threaten public health
A new global coalition is laying the groundwork to achieve an ambitious goal of speeding up the development of vaccines to combat the spread of deadly emerging infectious diseases that pose great risk to public health. Launched in January, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations... Read More »
Four-day ICE operation in southeast Texas results in 95 arrests of previously-convicted undocumented migrants
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) division recently completed a four-day immigration operation, the result of which led to the arrest of 95 undocumented migrants with criminal histories throughout the southeast Texas area. The agency... Read More »
Ratcliffe’s cybersecurity bill receives companion legislation in Senate
A companion bill to U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe’s (R-TX) Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017 was recently introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). Grassley currently serves as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee,... Read More »
DARPA chooses Rockwell Collins’ cybersecurity technology to secure new defense platforms
Rockwell Collins was recently selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to apply its mathematics-based development processes to protect DARPA defense platforms against potential cyberattacks. Rockwell Collins’ methods were developed in conjunction with DARPA’s High... Read More »
BAE Systems unveils new three-dimensional warning system for aircraft
BAE Systems recently revealed its new three-dimensional advanced warning system (3DAWS), which includes a semi-active radio frequency 3D tracker, to increase aircraft survival rates in multi-threat environments. The system was designed with open architecture standards and can be integrated with... Read More »
Russian hacker receives 27 years in prison for widespread hacking, credit card fraud scheme
Roman Valeryevich Seleznev, a 32-year old Russian cybercriminal, was sentenced to 27 years in prison last week for defrauding various small businesses and financial institutions, causing more than $169 million in damages. Seleznev, known by the pseudonym Track2, was convicted in August of 38... Read More »
Salmonella, Campylobacter are most-common foodborne illnesses, according to CDC report
According to a report recently published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most-reported bacteria causing foodborne illnesses in America last year were Campylobacter and Salmonella. Data was gathered through the CDC’s Foodborne Disease Active Surveillance... Read More »
NIAID announces $9 million in funding for seven Centers for Excellence in Malaria Research
In continuing its ongoing efforts into malaria research, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) recently announced $9 million in first-year funding for seven malaria research centers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The seven-year awards are a continuance of... Read More »
DHS unveils new comparison tool for Trusted Traveler program
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently unveiled a new Trusted Traveler comparison tool, which helps prospective DHS Trusted Traveler applicants find programs that best matches their citizenship and travel preferences. DHS Trusted Traveler programs allow low-risk travelers to... Read More »
Biodefense advocates take on U.S. preparedness funding fight
With the nation’s signature preparedness law due for reauthorization in 2018, leaders now are readying public health stakeholders across local, state and federal levels for battle on Capitol Hill. Not only should those in the public health sector be battle-ready to support renewal of the... Read More »