Bills Introduced – 5-1-23

Yesterday, with just the Senate in Washington, there were 12 bills introduced. One of those bills may received additional attention in this blog:

S 1388 A bill to authorize the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to enter into contracts to demonstrate or validate technology related to the integration of unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system, and for other purposes. Hoeven, John [Sen.-R-ND] 

I will be watching this bill for definitions and language that specifically address potential measures to restrict drone overflight of registered critical infrastructure facilities. I am not holding my breath.

There is one other bill that I will mention in passing:

S 1395 A bill to temporarily suspend the debt limit through December 31, 2024. Schumer, Charles E. [Sen.-D-NY] 

This is the Democratic response to HR 2811 which passed in the House last week. I have not seen the text, but this should be the ‘clean’ debt limit bill that President Biden has been asking for. It is unlikely to pass in the Senate unless Sen McConnel (R,KY) decides that moving the debate until after the Presidential elections in 2024 is the way to go. If passed in the Senate, this bill would provide moderates in the House a way to bypass the conservative Republican block in that body, but it could be very costly to Speaker McCarthy. June 1^st is the new deadline for some sort of debt limit action.

Committee Hearings – Week of 5-12-19

This week with both the House and Senate in session work starts to begin in the House on spending bills. Both Homeland Security Committee are holding markup hearings that include cybersecurity bills.

FY 2020 Spending Bills

These subcommittee hearings are all closed, but we may see their final drafts of the spending bills after the hearings are completed. Full Committee work has yet to be announced.

• House – Wednesday – DOD – Subcommittee

• House – Wednesday- Energy and Water - Subcommittee

• House – Wednesday – Interior, Environment and Related Agencies – Subcommittee

Cybersecurity Markups

On Wednesday the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a business meeting that will include the markup of 17 separate bills, including S 1388, Supply Chain Counterintelligence Training Act of 2019. This bill has yet to be published; we may see it before the hearing on Wednesday. Markups in this Committee are carefully choreographed and little information on the bill or changes made will be gleaned from watching this hearing.

On Wednesday the House Homeland Security Committee will hold a markup hearing for 10 bills, including HR 1158, the DHS Cyber Incident Response Team Act. The House Committee is more forthcoming in what they publish about amendments proposed to bill, so we will have a good sense of what changes (if any) are made to HR 1158 during this markup.

Bills Introduced – 05-09-19

Yesterday with both the House and Senate in session there were 101 bills introduced. Four of those bills will likely see future coverage on this blog:

HR 2636 To promote the use of smart technologies and systems in communities, and for other purposes. Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1]

HR 2644 To direct the Secretary of Commerce to conduct a study and submit to Congress a report on the state of the internet-connected devices industry in the United States. Rep. Latta, Robert E. [R-OH-5]

S 1388 A bill to manage supply chain risk through counterintelligence training, and for other purposes. Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI]

S 1398 A bill to promote the use of smart technologies and systems in communities, and for other purposes. Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA]

I will be watching all four bills for cybersecurity language, particularly language pertinent to control system security.

I suspect that HR 2636 and S 1398 are companion bills.

S 1388 Introduced – Petroleum Coke Study

As I noted in an earlier post, Sen. Levin (D,MI) introduced S 1388, the Petroleum Coke Transparency and Public Health Study Act. This is not, as I suggested earlier, a companion bill to HR 2298. The general topic is the same, an HHS study about petroleum coke, but the tone and mandate are slightly different.

While the House bill requires an HHS study be published in 90 days on the “public health and environmental impacts of the production, transportation, storage, and use of petroleum coke” {§3}, the Senate bill is slightly more expansive, requiring:

• An analysis of the public health and environmental impacts of the production, transportation, storage, and use of petroleum coke {§3(a)(1)};

• An assessment of potential approaches and best practices for storing, transporting, and managing petroleum coke{§3(a)(2)}; and

• A quantitative analysis of current and projected domestic petroleum coke production and utilization locations{§3(a)(3)}.

There is also a requirement to use the “best available science” and to solicit “readily available information from appropriate State agencies, nonprofit entities, academic entities, and industry” {§3(b)}. It also provides the Secretary 180 days to submit the study results to Congress.

Section 4 of the Senate bill is slightly narrower in focus than the House bill. Where HR 2298 required the establishment of an HHS web site that included all of the available “federally conducted research related to the public health and environmental impacts of the production, transportation, storage, and use of petroleum coke”, the Senate bill only requires the publication of this new study on an HHS web site.

The Senate bill has a slight chance of making it to the floor for consideration and because of its more moderate tone might get enough votes to overcome the opposition of proponents of the Keystone Pipeline. If it does get through the Senate, the Republican leadership will never bring this bill to the floor because they would consider it an attack on that pipeline project.

Bills Introduced – 07-30-13

With just a couple of days to go before the summer recess there are a number of bills being introduced in both Houses that are meant solely for political consumption back in the district. It appears that the one bill of potential interest to the chemical safety community might fall into that category.

                              

S 1388 Latest Title: A bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary of Energy, 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: Sen Levin, Carl (D,MI)

S 1388 is almost certainly a companion measure to HR 2298.