Bills Introduced – 06-06-13

While controversial topics were being debated in both the House and Senate a moderate number of bills were introduced in both Houses, including three that might be of specific interest to the chemical safety and cybersecurity communities. Those bills were:

S 1111 Latest Title: A bill to combat cyber espionage of intellectual property of United States persons, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Sen Johnson, Ron (R,WI) (introduced 6/6/2013)

HR 2281 Latest Title: To combat cyber espionage of intellectual property of United States persons, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep Rogers, Mike J. (R-MI)

HR 2298 Latest Title: To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to conduct a study on the public health and environmental impacts of the production, transportation, storage, and use of petroleum coke, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep Peters, Gary C. (D,MI)

The first two appear to be companion bills, or bills with identical language introduced separately in both houses to speed consideration. It is interesting that the Senate bill was only referred to the Judiciary Committee while the House bill was referred to the Judiciary, Foreign Affairs, and Financial Services Committees. Generally speaking, referring to multiple committees makes it harder to get a bill to the floor of the House.