Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters

06.09.21

Bipartisan Provision Creates Fund to Help Public and Private Entities Respond to Cyber Incidents

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A provision authored by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, passed the Senate as a part of a legislative package to strengthen national security, boost American competitiveness on the global stage, and lessen our dependence on adversarial governments, like China and Russia. The provision would provide additional resources and better coordination for serious cyber-attacks or breaches that risk the safety and security of Americans. American information networks have recently seen a significant rise in ransomware attacks, including dangerous breaches of a major oil pipeline, the New York City transportation system and meatpacking centers across the nation.

The provision would help improve the federal response to cyber breaches, such as the recent attack against the Colonial Pipeline. The provision also establishes a Cyber Response and Recovery Fund for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to provide direct support to public or private entities as they respond to and recover from significant cyber-attacks and breaches, following a declaration of a significant incident by the Secretary of Homeland Security. 

“Over the past few months, we have seen foreign adversaries and criminal organizations relentlessly attack American networks. As we saw from the recent attack against Colonial Pipeline – these breaches can have devastating effects on our daily lives,” said Senator Peters. “My bipartisan provision will help strengthen our response to online assaults from bad actors to ensure we are providing the public and private sector with the resources to recover from attacks and help protect our nation’s critical infrastructure. I look forward to seeing this important provision signed into law and will continue my efforts to bolster our nation’s cyber defenses.”

“Our nation is increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks every day, as the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack showed. Cyberattacks are getting worse and more frequent while the government and critical infrastructure are more dependent on information technology,” said Senator Portman, a coauthor of the provision. “Our legislation passed by the Senate will provide important emergency resources when major cyberattacks occur and overwhelm the organizations attacked.”

The provision, which is based on the Cyber Response and Recovery Act, would create an authority for the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the National Cyber Director, to declare a Significant Incident in the event of an ongoing or imminent attack that would impact national security, economic security, or government operations. This declaration would empower CISA to coordinate federal and non-federal response efforts, and allow the Secretary access to a Cyber Response and Recovery Fund that would help support federal and non-federal entities impacted by the event. The provision would authorize $20 million over seven years for the fund and would require DHS to report to Congress on its use. 

As Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Peters has led efforts to bolster our nation’s cybersecurity defenses. Peters recently convened a hearing with the Chief Executive Officer of Colonial Pipeline, to examine a recent hack against the company. As a part of the American Rescue Plan Act, Peters helped secure nearly $2 billion to modernize and secure information systems critical to the federal pandemic response. In April, the Senate also passed his provision to help protect our nation’s public water infrastructure technology systems, following recent cyber-attacks on water utilities. Last Congress, the Senate unanimously approved Peters’ bill to strengthen cybersecurity coordination between DHS and state and local governments. Peters has also pushed bipartisan legislation to improve access to cybersecurity resources and training for small businesses and to support K-12 schools with the resources they need to bolster their cybersecurity.

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Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Bob Menendez

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee that sets national health policy, today reintroduced the CARE for Tourette Syndrome Act of 2021 that would direct the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to discover new treatments for Tourette Syndrome (TS) and allocate funds toward the expansion of federal programs. An estimated one in every 100 school-aged children are diagnosed with TS or other related Tic Disorder, including approximately 20,110 in New Jersey.

 

The bill is cosponsored by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).

 

“Thousands of New Jersey children and teens living with Tourette Syndrome deserve greater federal support and resources to help them live successful lives,” said Sen. Menendez. “Too many families in New Jersey and across the country are struggling to ease their children’s suffering from Tourette Syndrome. This bill will help tremendously in developing new treatments to unlock every child’s full potential.”

 

TS is a neurodevelopmental disorder, for which there is no cure, characterized by “tics,” which are repetitive, involuntary movements and sounds. Tics can include arm jerking, head bobbing, grunting, or shouting. While symptoms and severity vary between individuals, severe tics can be painful, debilitating and greatly reduce quality of life. Symptom improvement often occurs during late adolescence, however, TS can be a lifelong condition for some individuals.

 

The CARE for Tourette Syndrome Act builds on the NIH’s current activities related to TS. Specifically, this legislation would: 

 

•        Expand and intensify data collection on the prevalence of TS, co-morbid conditions, and the availability of medical and social services. 

 

•        Establish Centers of Excellence to undertake extensive research into the causes, treatments, early detection, and prevention of TS. The Centers will conduct in-depth, multidisciplinary TS research in the fields of developmental neurobiology, neuroscience, genetics, psychology, and pharmacology. Eligible entities will include academic and other research institutions, acting independently or in a consortium, with broad geographic diversity.  

 

“The CARE for TS Act will provide and expand much needed in-depth research and data collection to better understand Tourette Syndrome and its co-occurring conditions,” said Amanda Talty, President and CEO, Tourette Association of America. “As the only national organization serving the TS community, we are ever invested in supporting research to improve diagnosis, treatment, and care. The increased collaboration of researchers will serve as a launching pad to take Tourette Syndrome research to new levels.”

 

Sen. Menendez last introduced this bill in 2020.

 

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Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Bob Menendez

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) today applauded the Senate’s swift confirmation of U.S. Magistrate Judge Zahid N. Quraishi to the U.S. District Court of New Jersey, becoming the country’s first ever Muslim American district court judge.  Judge Quraishi’s judicial appointment was approved by the Senate by a vote of 81-16.

“Judge Quraishi has devoted his career to serving our country, and his story embodies both the rich diversity of New Jersey and the promise of America as a place where anything is possible,” said Sen. Menendez during a speech on the Senate floor prior to the confirmation vote.  “Zahid Quraishi is a man of integrity, a consummate public servant, and a trailblazer for Asian Americans and Muslim Americans across this country who dream of one day presiding over a court of their own.  We should all draw inspiration from his story, because it is a story that could only take place in the United States of America.”

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Quraishi is the second judge appointed to the U.S. District Court of New Jersey this week.  On Monday, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Julien X. Neals.

The U.S. District Court of New Jersey is one of the busiest in the country, with 46,000 cases pending before it and with judges facing individual caseloads more than triple the national average.  New Jersey’s six, longstanding district court vacancies are second only to California’s and have been declared a “judicial emergency.” 

Quraishi was appointed as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of New Jersey in the Trenton Vicinage on June 3, 2019.  Quraishi, who is of Pakistani ancestry, is the first Asian American to serve on the federal bench in New Jersey.  Prior to his appointment, he was Chair of Riker Danzig’s White Collar Criminal Defense and Investigations Group and his firm’s first Chief Diversity Officer.  Before joining Riker, Quraishi served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of New Jersey for over five years.  He previously represented the United States as an Assistant Chief Counsel and trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  He also served as a military prosecutor and achieved the rank of Captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps.  In the Army, Quraishi was assigned to the First Infantry Division stationed in Germany and deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004 and 2006 before he was honorably discharged.  Earlier in his career, Quraishi worked as a litigation associate at LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, LLP and clerked for the Honorable Edwin H. Stern, Presiding Judge, Superior Court of New Jersey – Appellate Division (retired).  Quraishi received his law degree from Rutgers Law School – Newark, where he was the Managing Business Editor of the Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal and a member of the Rutgers Moot Court Board.

President Biden nominated Quraishi and Neals March 30 to the U.S. District Court of New Jersey and a confirmation hearing for both nominees was held last month before the Senate Judiciary Committee.  There are two other pending nominees to the New Jersey federal bench: President Biden nominated attorney Christine P. O’Hearn on April 29 and U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen M. Williams on May 12. 

Below are Sen. Menendez’s remarks as prepared for delivery:

 

M. President, today in the Senate, we have an opportunity to both alleviate a judicial emergency and make history by supporting the confirmation of Zahid Quraishi to the U.S. District Court of New Jersey, where he currently serves as a U.S. Magistrate Judge.

 

As I’ve mentioned many times in the past, the vacancies on this court have been declared judicial emergencies by the Judicial Conference of the United States.

 

The U.S. District of New Jersey is one of the busiest courts in the entire country, with 46,000 cases pending before it.  

 

Yet being short-staffed has left our judges with mind-boggling caseloads more than three times the national average.

 

Fortunately, we in the Senate have an extraordinary nominee before us this week.

 

Judge Quraishi has devoted his career to serving our country, and his story embodies both the rich diversity of New Jersey and the promise of America as a place where anything is possible.

 

He was born in New York and grew up in Fanwood, New Jersey with his parents, both immigrants from Pakistan who came to this country to build a better life.

 

In 1997, he graduated from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York and in 2000, earned his J.D. from Rutgers Law School.

 

After a clerkship with the New Jersey Superior Court, Mr. Quraishi accepted a position with a New York law firm.

 

His first day on the job was September 11, 2001 – and the horrific events of that day prompted him to change the trajectory of his career and focus on serving our country.

 

In 2003, he joined the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corp, where he earned the rank of Captain and served two deployments in Iraq, first in 2004 and then 2006.

 

For his service, Mr. Quraishi was awarded the Bronze Star and the Combat Action Badge – a recognition by the U.S. Army for non-infantry soldiers who engage in ground combat.

 

After leaving the Army, he continued to work in public service, first as a trial counsel with the Department of Homeland Security and then as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

 

In 2013 he joined the law firm of Riker Danzig, where he worked until 2019, when he was appointed as a U.S.  Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court and became the first Asian American federal judge in New Jersey’s history.

 

Now, Mr. Quraishi is poised to break barriers once more.

 

If confirmed, he will become the first Muslim-American in U.S. history to serve as an Article III federal judge.

 

My colleagues, Zahid Quraishi is a man of integrity, a consummate public servant, and a trailblazer for Asian Americans and Muslim Americans across this country who dream of one day presiding over a court of their own.

 

We should all draw inspiration from his story, because it is a story that could only take place in the United States of America.

 

I urge my colleagues to support his historic nomination to the U.S. District Court of New Jersey without delay.

 

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Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo

June 10, 2021

Washington, D.C.–Four interns have joined U.S. Senator Mike Crapo’s (R-Idaho) Washington, D.C., Pocatello and Boise offices for the summer term. 

“Each of the interns joining my office for this term have demonstrated an interest in public service and will gain first-hand experience of the federal legislative process,” said Crapo.  “As Congress considers vital pieces of legislation, their work will greatly assist in my service to Idahoans.  Each brings a fresh perspective to our offices, and I look forward to having them on the team for the summer.” 

Two interns joined the Washington, D.C., office: 

Cassie Williams, who grew up in Coeur d’Alene, currently attends the University of Montana in Missoula.  In the fall, she will begin her final year of undergraduate studies in political science and public administration.  Cassie has interests in economic development, infrastructure and data privacy. 

Elizabeth Hellewell, from Maryland, is currently studying public health at Brigham Young University.  She has interests in national health policy and local public health issues. 

One intern joined the Boise office: 

Kimberly Van Maren, a native of Utah, currently attends Boise State University studying political science, criminal justice and mathematics.  She has interests in pro-life issues, first amendment rights and immigration. 

One intern joined the Pocatello office: 

Lexi Jorgenson, a native of Pocatello, will attend Idaho State University in the fall.  Her interests include community development and local government issues. 

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Source: United States Senator for South Dakota Mike Rounds

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