U.S. Sens. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) introduced legislation on Friday that would fully fund the Obama administration’s $1.9 billion request aimed at counteracting the Zika virus.
“In Hawaii, the threat of the Zika virus remains a major public health concern, especially... Read More »
The U.S. is woefully underprepared for potential bioterrorist attacks or naturally occurring pandemics like the Zika virus, and the federal government must do more to partner with the private sector in order to combat those threats, U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN) warned this week.
“The answers... Read More »
The House Small Business Committee held a hearing on Wednesday entitled “Small Business and the Federal Government: How Cyber-Attacks Threaten Both,” with representatives hearing testimony from small business owners on the dangers of cyber attacks.
“The owners, employees and customers of... Read More »
A survey released on Wednesday by the Alliance for Biosecurity, the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense and the Trust for America’s Health found that the American public is concerned about biosecurity threats and believes that the government should invest more in preparedness.
“The... Read More »
The Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, chaired by U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA), held a hearing entitled “Blackout! Are We Prepared to Manage the Aftermath of a Cyber-Attack or Other Failure of the Electrical Grid?” on Thursday to examine the... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the States and High-Risk Urban Area Working Group Act, H.R. 4509, on Wednesday.
The legislations requires decision makers involved in disaster response planning to work together to gain a complete understanding of a community’s vulnerabilities so that... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) introduced an amendment on Tuesday that requires the administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to establish a pilot program to improve the physical layout of security screening operations at airports.
“The recent attack in Brussels raised... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) chaired a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Thursday to address the federal perspective on the state of U.S. biodefense preparedness.
“Today, we look forward to learning the perspective of federal agencies on the state of our... Read More »
Founded in 2001 to train professionals in biosecurity and disaster preparedness, the Institute for Biosecurity at Saint Louis University’s College for Public Health and Social Justice recently told Homeland Preparedness News that the United States needs to continuously improve on its... Read More »
Speaking at the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit (NSS), INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock emphasized that international law enforcement is the most important line of defense in the struggle against nuclear terrorism.
The 2016 NSS took place from last week in Washington, D.C. It served as the... Read More »
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), along with Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy (R-PA), recently sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) criticizing the department’s response to the ongoing spread of the Zika... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Darrell Issa (R-CA) released statements on Monday regarding the ongoing privacy battle between Apple and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).
“The government’s decision to drop its case against Apple, however, does not mean that America is ready to... Read More »
A new report released on Monday by the Syrian-American Medical Society revealed that more than 600 chemical attacks have killed 1,491 people during the five years of ongoing conflict in Syria.
The report, “The New Normal, Ongoing Chemical Attacks in Syria,” found that 69 chemical weapon... Read More »
The Alliance for Biosecurity applauded Wednesday’s Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approval of the Medical Countermeasure Innovation Act, S. 2055.
The legislation would accelerate the development of new vaccines and medicines meant to protect American citizens from... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday responded to a letter led by Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN) urging the agency to add Zika virus to the FDA tropical disease priority review voucher (PRV) program.
In its response, the FDA opted to not add the virus to its voucher program.
By... Read More »
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced the National Commission on Security and Technology on Monday.
The commission was formed in the wake of the Apple’s public refusal to follow the FBI’s order to program a backdoor into... Read More »
The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on Wednesday about the continuing danger posed by Zika virus to the Americas and plans to respond to the virus both nationally and internationally.
Zika virus is primarily spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. Such... Read More »
A subcommittee hearing chaired by U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) on Thursday heard testimony from leading cybersecurity experts on the serious national security threats currently faced by the U.S. from other nation states and malicious cyber actors.
The hearing, held by the House Homeland... Read More »
The U.S. House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on Friday to learn from experts about current preparedness shortcomings and to assess the types of biological threats facing the United States.
The hearing, chaired by U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA), was entitled... Read More »
The Director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the USSTRATCOM Center for Combating WMD Kenneth A. Myers testified before members of Congress on Wednesday to lay out a FY 2017 budget request.
At a hearing held by the House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and... Read More »
The Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies held its “International Cooperation in Combating Terrorism: Review of 2015 and Outlook for 2016” on Monday at the National Press Club, featuring a panel of experts from the Blue Ribbon Panel who warned that bioterrorism remains a growing... Read More »
Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) recently introduced an amendment to the proposed Energy Policy Modernization Act, S. 2012, that would require an overhaul of the way that the government treats the radiological waste industry.
The introduced amendment would require the administration to give Congress an... Read More »
The Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities held a hearing on Wednesday entitled "Outside Views on Biodefense for the Department of Defense,” featuring expert testimony from members of the bipartisan Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense to provide an... Read More »
The European Commission and U.S. Department of Commerce announced an agreement on Tuesday of a safe harbor replacement deal, rebranded as the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield.
The specifics of the deal were not initially released, however, the privacy shield reportedly addresses requirements set out by... Read More »
The president and chair of the board of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) supported efforts by Congress to improve first responder preparedness for bioterrorism attacks but said that even more work remains while testifying on Tuesday at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental... Read More »
Republican house leaders sent a letter on Friday to President Obama regarding the administration’s unilateral changes to the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel and Prevention Act of 2015.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob... Read More »
Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson met with the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) last week, swearing in the two newest members to HSAC, Michael A. Nutter and Christian P. Marrone.
“With one year left in this administration, I intend to get a lot done and I have given our... Read More »
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander’s (R-TN) commitment to advancing the Medical Countermeasures Innovation Act of 2015 was applauded this week by the Alliance for Biosecurity.
The act, introduced in September by Sens. Richard Burr (R-NC) and Bob... Read More »
The United States Department of Health and Human Services announced on Monday that it will be seeking public comment regarding the review of biological agents and toxins that have the potential to pose a severe threat to public health and safety, with a proposal to republish that list.
The... Read More »
Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Michael McCaul (R-TX) released a monthly snapshot on Monday of potential terror threats for the U.S. and its allies.
“ISIS and al Qaeda terrorists are expanding their networks and carving out sanctuaries abroad, while their supporters and... Read More »
Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson released a statement on Friday regarding the implementation of the REAL ID Act’s final phase and what it means for certain states going forward.
Passed in 2005, the REAL ID Act enacted the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the government set... Read More »
Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, detailed the reasoning behind the inclusion of S. 2362, the “Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act,” in the December Omnibus bill.
“After the horrific... Read More »
