U.S. Policy
Citing the state’s desire to upgrade California’s analog 9-1-1 system microwave network to a digital platform, Gov. Gavin Newsom recently touted a $1 billion investment in emergency preparedness and response funding.
During a 9-1-1 call center tour at the San Francisco Department of... Read More »
Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) recently forwarded correspondence to President Donald Trump to certify to Congress that Colombia is committed to working with authorities to combat the illegal drug trade.
Colombia, who the senators said is one of the most proactive nations... Read More »
The U.S. Senate passed a bill this week that would allow federal workers to assist the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) efforts.
The National Urban Search and Rescue Parity Act would override a policy that currently bars federal employees from... Read More »
Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) is encouraging the Department of Defense to reestablish the U.S. Space Command in Colorado and use its existing military assets to address emerging space threats.
Gardner recently forwarded correspondence to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, highlighting Colorado’s... Read More »
Building on non-competitive grant funding already provided to various preparedness efforts throughout the United States, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced $350 million will be divided between six competitive preparedness grant programs this year.
Those funds will support... Read More »
The United States officially withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty last week, ending a 30-year ban on a class of weapons that both the United States and the then Soviet Union, now Russia, recognized as particularly dangerous and destabilizing.
These land-based... Read More »
A bill designed to protect the health and safety of firefighters and emergency responders frequently exposed to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in foams was recently introduced by Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Gary Peters (D-MI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH).
The... Read More »
As he called for immediate action to eradicate a major outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) last week, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) also denounced the Trump Administration for its failures to combat the growing crisis adequately.
The outbreak is now recognized by the... Read More »
A bill urging the Trump Administration to place limits on Russia’s strategic nuclear arms was introduced in the U.S. Senate last week.
The legislation – sponsored by Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) -- calls for extending the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START)... Read More »
Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) reintroduced Wednesday a measure designed to close loopholes they said offenders exploit to obtain firearms through straw purchasing and firearms trafficking.
The Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2019 is landmark... Read More »
As a means of addressing this year’s fire season, California officials are highlighting efforts to bolster preparedness with a series of actions to prepare for wildfires and other natural disasters.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order increasing the number of seasonal firefighters... Read More »
The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation advanced a bill that would authorize appropriations for the U.S. Coast Guard operations through Fiscal Year 2021.
The bill, among other things, will help the Coast Guard recruit and retain a workforce through a number of... Read More »
Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced this week a bill requiring the State Department to investigate potential benefits of establishing a U.S.-Israel cybersecurity center.
According to the legislators, the U.S.-Israel Cybersecurity Center of Excellence Act would aid in... Read More »
Reps. Pete Stauber (R-MN) and Jared Golden (D-ME) introduced Wednesday a measure designed to ensure fire station infrastructure nationwide enables firefighters to perform their duties efficiently and safely.
The Fire Station Infrastructure Safety Act directs the U.S. Fire Administration to... Read More »
U.S. Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced cybersecurity legislation this week, seeking to improve the work of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program.
Their solution is the Advancing Cybersecurity Continuing... Read More »
Every fiscal year — from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 — the United States government says it makes available to qualified applicants roughly 140,000 employment-based immigrant visas in efforts to bring much-needed, highly skilled labor and foreign investment dollars to America.
It’s a critical... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) are encouraging the leadership of the Senate and House Armed Services Committee to include the DETER Act in the final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference report.
The Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing... Read More »
Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Mike Lee (R-UT) recently called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide Congress with the status of an overdue biometric identification technology report.
Under the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018, DHS was required to... Read More »
Legislators have requested Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) include Valley Fever in the Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher (PRV) Program.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) spearheaded a recent effort to forward correspondence to HHS Secretary Alex Azar... Read More »
Legislation to provide financial support to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last week.
The Global Fund was established in 2002 to raise money to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Contributions by the United States... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently cleared the first use of a commercially available product to manage blister injuries caused by sulfur mustard, otherwise known as mustard gas.
Silverlon, a silver-plated nylon dressing, is used widely to aid in the management of acute skin wounds... Read More »
University of Maryland’s National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) recently was awarded a contract to train fire intelligence officers and senior leaders within the National Capital Region.
The training will be through the Department of Homeland... Read More »
The Senate Intelligence Committee released last week the first volume of a report exploring the body’s investigation into Russia’s attempts to interfere with the 2016 election.
“Over the past two years, the Senate Intelligence Committee has investigated Russia’s relentless efforts to... Read More »
Deputy Secretary of Defense nominee David Norquist recently fielded a series of questions during a Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing, including queries about commitment to Arizona’s military modernization.
Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) pressed Norquist on Arizona’s role in providing... Read More »
The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) has approved the Deepfake Report Act by a bipartisan voice vote.
Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), co-founder and co-chair of the Senate Artificial Intelligence Caucus, said the measure directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate announced Tuesday a $10.5 million funding opportunity for a new DHS Center of Excellence (COE).
COEs are led by U.S. universities that have multiple partners from other universities, commercial interests, DHS, and... Read More »
Senate lawmakers have approved a measure making the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund permanent and it will now go to the president’s desk to be signed into law.
Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) introduced legislation to reduce the maintenance backlog for the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard Shore Infrastructure Improvement Act (S. 2212) would implement recommendations from a recent Government Accountability Office to better manage... Read More »
U.S. and Guatemalan government officials said the nations are making continual progress regarding efforts to craft a regional approach to address irregular migration patterns.
Authorities said there has been collaboration on a series of initiatives designed to reduce the flow of irregular... Read More »
Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the Senate would better prepare Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) students for careers in cybersecurity and computer science.
The JROTC Cyber Training Act directs the Secretary of Defense to create cooperative research opportunities,... Read More »
Legislation that would crack down on addiction-driven human trafficking was introduced this week in the U.S. Senate.
The Protecting Rights of Those Exploited by Coercive Trafficking (PROTECT) Act would seek to prevent the use of drugs to facilitate human trafficking. Human traffickers often... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials have reissued the National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin, which maintains a focus on domestic terror threats.
DHS began using the report in 2015 as a means of highlight continuing terror threats in America. Officials noted that the... Read More »
Shelby Pierson has been appointed to serve as the newly established Intelligence Community (IC) Election Threats Executive (ETE).
Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Daniel R. Coats said the ETE is responsible for serving as the DNI’s principal adviser on threats to elections and matters... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) is stepping up calls for more U.S. action to prevent a global Ebola outbreak, following last week’s announcement from the World Health Organization (WHO) designating the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a Public Health Emergency of... Read More »
Two bills recently reintroduced in the Senate are seeking to bolster cybersecurity protections in vehicles and airplanes in the age of the Internet of Things.
The Security and Privacy in Your Car Act would establish a rating system that informs consumers about how well vehicles protect... Read More »
