Policy
Bill would fund Coast Guard through 2021
A bill was introduced in the U.S. House to authorize funds for the U.S. Coast Guard through fiscal year 2021. The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 3409) includes funds to promote the U.S. maritime industry and offshore renewable energy development, authorization of funding to build... Read More »
Texas National Guard personnel deployed to border
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has deployed 1,000 Texas National Guard troops to the Southwest border to support Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regarding border security. “The crisis at our southern border is unlike anything we’ve witnessed before and has put an enormous strain on the existing... Read More »
GAO recommends Congressional action to protect T-band, first responder efforts
According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), first responder communications are at serious risk with the pending, 2021 sale of the T-Band part of the radio spectrum. In 11 large metropolitan areas, police, firefighters and other first responders rely heavily on that spectrum, and in... Read More »
Bill further empowers ICE BITMAP initiative
Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) and Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) recently introduced legislation designed to strengthen the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Biometric Identification Transnational Migration Alert Program (BITMAP), which detects and deters illicit criminal entry. BITMAP is... Read More »
Pennsylvania officials attend DHS cybersecurity training
Pennsylvania state and county officials recently attended the Tabletop the Vote 2019 cyber training exercise hosted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The exercise provided election, information technology, and security personnel... Read More »
Cybersecurity experts discuss ways to protect technology supply chains
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) met in Washington, D.C. last week to discuss how to help industry and government stakeholders manage risks to information and communications technology (ICT) supply chains. At the meeting, CISA’s Information and Communications... Read More »
House adopts military training funding amendment
The House of Representatives has adopted an amendment adding $6 million to the Defense Appropriations bill to increase funding for Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard training. The effort, introduced by Reps. Andy Barr (R-KY) and Brett Guthrie (R-KY), is part of H.R. 2740. It would take... Read More »
Senate committee advances legislation to increase security funding for religious, non-profit organizations
New legislation advanced last week by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee would allot $75 million annually for grants to nonprofits and faith-based organizations specifically dedicated helping them secure their facilities. The Protecting Faith-based and Nonprofit... Read More »
Bill would encourage weapon manufacturers to develop smart gun technology
Legislation recently introduced in Congress would provide tax incentives to firearm manufacturers and small businesses for the development of smart gun technologies while encouraging consumers to purchase firearms that utilize the technologies. The Start Advancing Firearms Enhancements and... Read More »
Senate bill would help state, local governments thwart cyberattacks
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee advanced a bill to foster stronger cybersecurity coordination between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and state and local governments. The State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act would encourage national... Read More »
Delta to install facial recognition at three airports
Delta Air Lines, in partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), will install facial recognition at three airports over the next month. The technology will be installed at boarding gates and will be used for international flights. It can save approximately nine minutes of boarding... Read More »
Bill would strengthen cybersecurity coordination
Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the Senate aims to promote stronger cybersecurity coordination between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and state and local governments. The State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act encourages national cybersecurity watchdogs to share... Read More »
Rep. Rogers touts legislative package to improve homeland security
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) introduced a legislative package of seven bills called the “American Security Agenda,” which seeks to improve the U.S. response to homeland security threats. “The goal of the American Security Agenda is to take a hard look at the Department’s missions and act... Read More »
Seattle to house new polar icebreakers
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) is lauding the Coast Guard’s recent decision noting Seattle will serve as the homeport for three new Coast Guard polar security cutters, or polar icebreakers. “This is great news,” Cantwell, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, which has... Read More »
GAO issues recommendations for security contractors
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued recommendations for National Nuclear Security Administration contractors. The contractors design and manufacture explosive materials for nuclear weapons, and there are approximately 100 different nuclear- weapon components that... Read More »
Sen. Hoeven encourages federal use of North Dakota drone knowledge for wildfire fighting
Highlighting the success of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in disaster response, U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) recently encouraged federal departments to partner with his state’s Northern Plains UAS Test Site in the fight against wildfires. Specifically, he wanted to see the site’s knowledge... Read More »
Cianbro wins $12.2M contract at Portsmouth Navy Shipyard
Cianbro was awarded a $12.2 million contract to expand the warehouse facility at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) in Portsmouth, N.H. “I have long advocated for the Navy to address the modernization needs at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and I am so pleased to announce that the contract has... Read More »
HASC action addresses Guantanamo transfers
The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) recently adopted a pair of National Defense Authorization Act amendments blocking the Guantanamo detainee transfers to certain countries presenting national security threats. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), ranking member of the House Homeland Security... Read More »
Measures support high-altitude aviation training
Rep. Scott Tipton (R-CO) recently proposed legislation supporting the military’s high-altitude aviation training in Colorado, backing Department of Defense (DoD) guidelines for aircraft flying over the state’s wilderness areas. Tipton said the bill, H.R. 2347, and resolution, H.R. 440,... Read More »
Legislation would outlaw the distribution of blueprints for 3D printed firearms
Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) introduced legislation last week that would make it illegal to distribute online blueprints and instructions that detail how to automatically program a 3D printer to produce or manufacture a firearm. The 3D... Read More »
US, Colombia, and Mexico officials work to fight criminal organizations
Prosecutors from Colombia, Mexico, and the United States met in June to develop joint strategies and best practices to dismantle the transnational criminal organizations that threaten the three nations. The meeting of the Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCO) Working Group in Cartagena,... Read More »
Bioterrorism combating measure advances House Judiciary Committee
As a means of addressing the rising threat of bioterrorism, the House Judiciary Committee has approved a bill criminalizing possession of certain deadly substances. Reps. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) and Kathleen Rice (D-NY) introduced the Effective Prosecution of Possession of Biological Toxins and... Read More »
TAL Subcommittee advances National Defense Authorization Act
The Tactical Air and Land Forces (TAL) Subcommittee has voted to advance the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The effort to advance the measure out of Committee by a 33-24 vote stems from the overarching goal of building a strong national defense, supporting service members and... Read More »
Reps. Graves, Gottheimer introduce bill to help individuals thwart cyberattacks
U.S. Reps. Tom Graves (R-GA) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) introduced legislation that seeks to provide American more tools to defend themselves online from cyberthreats. The Active Cyber Defense Certainty Act (ACDC) makes changes to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) to allow use of limited... Read More »
IoT measure advances through House committee
The House Committee has advanced legislation designed to enhance Internet of Things (IoT) devices security and aid in preventing attacks on information technology infrastructure on Oversight and Reform. The Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act, which was introduced by Reps. Will Hurd... Read More »
DHS, DHHS jointly press Congress for additional border security funding
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued an urgent funding request to Congress this week, stating that the immigration surge at the southern border threatens to deplete existing budgets. Though the Trump Administration requested $4.5... Read More »
DHS, pilot union partner to combat human trafficking
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Blue Campaign recently partnered with the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l, the world’s largest airline pilot union, to fight human trafficking. The partnership also includes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Department of... Read More »
Sen. Rubio sponsors bill to make it harder for terrorists to get guns
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced a bill to make it harder for suspected terrorists to purchase firearms. The Terror Intelligence Improvement Act would also provide more authority for law enforcement agencies to go after suspected terrorists while safeguarding Second Amendment... Read More »
DHS garners fiscal year 2020 funding allotment
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has received its allotment of fiscal year 2020 funding via the House Appropriations Committee’s approval of the Homeland Security bill. “I am proud to have drafted this smart, effective and humane Homeland Security funding bill,” Rep. Lucille... Read More »
House advances cybersecurity response team bill
The U.S. House of Representatives passed companion legislation Tuesday to the Senate’s bipartisan Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cyber Hunt and Incident Response Teams Act. The act, reintroduced in February, authorizes the DHS’s National Protection and Programs Directorate to create... Read More »
House advances three bills to modernize DHS
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced three different bills that are designed to modernize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “DHS was created in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks,” Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said. “It’s... Read More »
Bill offers non-profits terrorism protections
House lawmakers recently advanced a measure designed to ensure federal support to protect the safety of non-profits at risk of terrorism, including synagogues, mosques, churches and other places of worship. The Securing American Nonprofit Organizations Against Terrorism Act of 2019 authorizes a... Read More »
Cuccinelli named acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan recently announced that Kenneth Cuccinelli has been named acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). USCIS administers the immigration system, adjudicating more than 8.7 million requests for immigration... Read More »
Senate bill would require shell companies to disclose their owners
A bill introduced in the Senate would require shell companies to disclose their true owners to the U.S. Department of Treasury. The Improving Laundering Laws and Increasing Comprehensive Information Tracking of Criminal Activity in Shell Holdings (ILLICIT CASH) Act would help law enforcement... Read More »