Policy
Emmons introduces bill to continue OK2SAY program for Michigan school students
Michigan State Sen. Judy Emmons (R-Sheridan)introduced a bill this week to continue the state’s OK2SAY hotline, a 24-hour confidential tip line aimed at preventing school tragedies. Emmons current bill would extend the program by repealing its designated expiration date of Oct. 1, 2017.... Read More »
TSA transparency in technology acquisition bill advanced by House
The U.S. House of Representatives passed this week the Transparency in Technological Acquisitions Act of 2017, which aims to increase transparency in the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) technology acquisition process in order to ensure businesses both large and small can meet the... Read More »
Tester discusses budget concerns, security interests with Defense secretary
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) held a hearing this week with Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary James Mattis regarding the President’s recently-proposed budget priorities and the nation’s economic strength. Tester brought attention to the budget’s proposed cuts to agencies that help... Read More »Reps. Hurd, McSally request information on border wall funding from Homeland Security
U.S. Reps. Will Hurd (R-TX) and Martha McSally (R-AZ) recently published an oversight letter, requesting specific details regarding the Trump Administration’s $999 million request for the planning, design, and construction of the first installment of the proposed border wall between the United... Read More »
GOP senators return from Middle East intelligence trip
Republican members of the Senate Intelligence Committee recently returned from a trip to the Middle East to examine the region’s anti-terrorism efforts and provide oversight of key intelligence programs. Included in the delegation were U.S. Sens. Richard Burr (R-NC), chairman of the... Read More »Sen. Cruz set to introduce bill to re-list North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) released a plan this week to introduce a bill that would re-list North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. Cruz’s bill received cosponsors from U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Dean Heller (R-NV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and... Read More »Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons adds specialized NMR equipment to its laboratory
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) inaugurated the new nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer at OPCW’s laboratory last week in Rijswijk, South Holland Province. The ceremony was led by OPCW Director General Ahmet Üzümcü. NMR is widely used in... Read More »Senate Select Committee on Intelligence schedules new open hearing on Russian interference into US elections
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence scheduled last week an open hearing for March 30 regarding potential Russian intelligence activities and influence during the recent U.S. presidential election. The hearing, titled Disinformation: A Primer in Russian Active Measures and Influence... Read More »
CBP posts two requests for border wall prototype proposals
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently released two requests for proposals (RFPs) to award multiple contracts, along with initial task orders, for the design and construction of wall prototypes to be used in President Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico. The President’s... Read More »
Rep. Ratcliffe introduces bill to provide cybersecurity training to local law enforcement
U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) introduced a bill last week aimed at providing state and local law enforcement the tools necessary to combat cybercrime. The Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017 would authorize the National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI), based in... Read More »
Bill to increase number of cybersecurity-related scholarships introduced in House, Senate
A bipartisan group of congressmen introduced the Department of Defense (DOD) Cyber Scholarship Program Act of 2017 last week, which aims to improve the nation’s cybersecurity workforce by enhancing existing DOD scholarship programs for students in cybersecurity-related majors. The bill... Read More »
Sens. Feinstein, Collins introduce bill to reduce the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture
U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) recently introduced the Preventing Antibiotic Resistance Act, which aims to preserve the effectiveness of medically-important antibiotics used to treat human and animal bacterial infections. U.S. Reps. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Rosa... Read More »
Rep. Barletta chairs hearing on successes of emergency preparedness grants for public safety threats
U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) held a hearing last week to examine the effectiveness of emergency preparedness grant programs that allow locales to identify and respond to various disaster scenarios. Barletta, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and... Read More »Sen. Roberts introduces bill to protect the nation’s food supply from agro-terrorism
U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, introduced legislation last week to ensure the safety of the nation’s food supply by addressing various threats posed by acts of agro-terrorism. The bill was cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), who serves... Read More »Bills aimed at protecting social security numbers introduced in House
The U.S. House Ways and Means Committee introduced two bills last week in an attempt to prevent identity theft by enhancing protections for social security numbers (SSNs). The first bill, titled the Social Security MAIL Act (H.R. 1513), would prevent the Social Security Administration from... Read More »
Rep. Thompson sends request for oversight hearings, bill markup for countering domestic threats to religious institutions
U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) sent a public request last week to U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, for a comprehensive oversight hearing on the various domestic threats on religious institutions and a markup to pass the Securing American... Read More »
Gen. Dunford discusses recent North Korean missile launch with South Korean counterpart
In response to recent missile launches by the North Korean government, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joe Dunford held a 30-minute telemeeting with the Chairman of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Sun Jin-Lee to assess the security situation for allies in the area. On... Read More »
Interpol’s Stock addresses effective information sharing to counter extremism, organized crime
Secretary General of Interpol Jürgen Stock recently addressed the Chiefs of Police Conference of South Asia and Neighboring Countries, stating that regional and global police cooperation has never been more essential in the fight against terrorism and organized crime. “In today’s world,... Read More »
OPCW Executive Council votes to condemn the use of VX nerve agent in recent Malaysian airport attack
The Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) recently adopted a decision to condemn the use of the Schedule 1 liquid nerve agent VX, which was used in a fatal incident last month at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The incident occurred on Feb.... Read More »
Democratic Congress members raise concerns over impact of executive orders on preparedness for pandemic flu outbreak
A group of Democratic members of Congress recently sent a public letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price and the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), questioning how actions by the Trump Administration could harm the CDC’s preparedness in the... Read More »Bill to help local law enforcement, government organizations better prepare for cyber attacks introduced
Congressmen of the San Antonio, Texas delegation recently introduced a cybersecurity preparedness bill to both the U.S House of Representatives and the Senate, aiming for better training for local authorities against cyber attacks. The National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act requires... Read More »
House Small Business Committee holds hearing on coordinating federal resources for cybersecurity
During a hearing with the U.S. House Small Business Committee, a panel of experts said that the government must do a better job coordinating federal resources to protect the country’s small businesses from various cybersecurity threats. The hearing comes in the wake of a recent report from... Read More »
Homeland Security Committee debates bill on denying foreign fighters entry into US
The U.S. House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday marked up a bill that requires a stress test of various U.S. government protection and prevention programs against potential terrorist attacks. The Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel Exercise Act of 2017 was introduced by U.S. Rep.... Read More »
DHS private sector cooperation necessary for success of nation’s cybersecurity efforts
More work needs to be done to strengthen the alliance between the private sector and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in combating cyber attacks, private stakeholders testified at a House Homeland Security subcommittee hearing Wednesday. “In the cyber domain, we are constantly learning... Read More »
Interpol, Council of Europe launch new cybersecurity investigation project
The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), in conjunction with the Council of Europe, recently launched a new initiative aimed at building capacity and enhancing cooperation amongst cybersecurity investigators around the world. The Global action on Cybercrime extended (GLACY+)... Read More »Perry introduces TSA employee misconduct accountability bill
U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) introduced this week the Strengthening Oversight of TSA Employee Misconduct Act, which requires senior Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials to oversee the review of disciplinary actions given in response to employee misconduct. Under current rules,... Read More »Carter introduces bill to increase cooperation between ICE, local law enforcement
U.S. Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) recently introduced a bill that aims to strengthen immigration enforcement by targeting undocumented migrants who have a criminal record and bringing them into law enforcement custody. The bill, titled the Assuring Law Enforcement Requests are Timely... Read More »
House bill aims to ensure safety of nation’s food supply from agro-terrorism
U.S. Reps. Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), David Young (R-IA) and Dan Donovan (R-NY) recently introduced a bill to ensure the safety of the nation’s food supply by combating the threat of potential agro-terrorism. The Securing our Agriculture and Food Act would require the Secretary of Homeland... Read More »
MEPs urge adoption of full visa reciprocity for all EU member states, US
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) recently adopted a resolution urging the European Commission to take measures to temporarily reintroduce visa reciprocity for citizens of the United States and all states within the European Union (EU). Currently, citizens of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus,... Read More »
Smith, Abraham introduce cybersecurity bill for federal agencies
U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, along with U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-LA), recently introduced a bill to examine the cybersecurity capabilities of various federal agencies and require regular audits of their progress as more... Read More »MEPs vote for stronger protection, shorter data retention periods for non-EU nationals traveling to member states
Civil Liberties Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted for stronger entry protections and a shorter retention period for traveler data stored in the new European Union (EU) entry/exit system, which aims to modernize checks on non-EU nationals traveling to EU member countries. The move... Read More »
Walden, Murphy seek additional information from CDC regarding Laboratory Response Network capabilities
Two members of the House Republican Caucus recently sent a public letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in an effort to examine the agency’s Laboratory Response Network (LRN), a system established to boost the government’s preparedness for bioterrorism. U.S. Rep.... Read More »McSally introduces bill to require “stress test” exercise of government agencies against potential terrorist travel
U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) introduced legislation last week to require a “stress test” of U.S. government programs against potential terrorist travel. The Task Force on Combating Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel, on which McSally served, made the stress test recommendation to help... Read More »
Roberts, McCaskill introduce bill to help protect the nation’s food supply from agro-terrorism
U.S. Sens. Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) introduced legislation last week to help protect against a terror-style attack on the nation’s agriculture industry and ensure food safety for American consumers. The Securing our Agriculture and Food Act would require the Secretary of... Read More »