Domains Critical to Homeland Security Act This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct research and development to identify U.S. critical domains for economic and homeland security and evaluate the extent to which disruption, corruption, exploitation, or dysfunction of any such domain poses a substantial threat to homeland security. The bill defines United States critical domains for economic security as the critical infrastructure and other associated industries, technologies, and intellectual property, or any combination thereof, that are essential to U.S. economic security. DHS may conduct additional research into high-risk critical domains under specified circumstances.
State and Local Cybersecurity Improvement Act This bill requires the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to establish the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program to address cybersecurity risks and threats to the information systems of state, local, or tribal organizations. Eligible grant applicants (i.e., states and certain Indian tribes) must submit a cybersecurity plan—to be approved by CISA as a condition of disbursement—that describes how the applicant will use the funds to address cybersecurity risks and threats to their information systems. Grant funds must be used to implement, develop, or revise the applicant's cybersecurity plan or to assist with activities that address imminent cybersecurity risks or threats. CISA must establish a State and Local Cybersecurity Resilience Committee to provide state, local, and tribal stakeholder expertise, situational awareness, and recommendations to CISA on how to address cybersecurity risks and threats. CISA must develop and maintain a resource guide for state, local, tribal, and territorial government officials to assist with identifying, preparing for, detecting, protecting against, responding to, and recovering from cybersecurity risks, threats, and incidents. In addition, CISA must develop and make publicly available a Homeland Security Strategy to Improve the Cybersecurity of State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Governments. Finally, CISA must assess the feasibility of implementing a short-term rotational program to detail approved state, local, tribal, and territorial government employees to CISA in cyber workforce positions.
Cybersecurity Vulnerability Remediation Act This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to take certain actions with the goal of countering cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center of DHS may disseminate protocols to counter cybersecurity vulnerabilities, including in circumstances in which such vulnerabilities exist because software or hardware is no longer supported by a vendor. The Science and Technology Directorate may establish a competition to develop remedies for cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
Cyber Sense Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Energy to establish a voluntary Cyber Sense program to test the cybersecurity of products and technologies intended for use in the bulk-power system. The bulk-power system includes facilities and control systems necessary for operating an interconnected electric energy transmission network.
Consumer Protection and Recovery Act This bill authorizes the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to seek monetary relief in federal court from businesses that engage in unlawful commercial practices such as false advertising, consumer fraud, and anticompetitive conduct. Specifically, the FTC may seek restitution in these cases for losses, rescission or reformation of contracts, refund of money, return of property, or disgorgement of unjust enrichment. On April 22, 2021, the Supreme Court held in AMG Capital Management, LLC v. Federal Trade Commission that the Federal Trade Commission Act does not authorize the FTC to seek, or a court to award, such relief.
Securing America From Epidemics Act This bill authorizes the United States to participate in the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, an alliance of countries and private partners whose mission is to finance and coordinate the development of vaccines for high-priority, epidemic-potential threats. The President must report on certain matters concerning U.S. participation in coalition activities, including how this participation supports health security and biodefense priorities.
DHS Industrial Control Systems Capabilities Enhancement Act of 2021 This bill requires the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to maintain certain capabilities to identify and address threats to industrial control systems. Specifically, the bill requires CISA's National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center to ensure that its activities address the security of both information and operational technology, including industrial control systems. Additionally, CISA must maintain capabilities to identify and address threats and vulnerabilities to products and technologies intended for use in the automated control of critical infrastructure processes by (1) leading efforts to identify and mitigate cybersecurity threats to industrial control systems; (2) maintaining threat hunting and incident response capabilities to respond to cybersecurity risks and incidents; (3) providing cybersecurity technical assistance to stakeholders; and (4) collecting, coordinating, and providing vulnerability information to the industrial control systems community. CISA shall provide to the homeland security committees a briefing on its industrial control systems capabilities at specified intervals. The Government Accountability Office must review and report on implementation of the bill's requirements.
Measuring the Economics Driving Investments and Access for Diversity Act of 2021 or the MEDIA Diversity Act of 2021 This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission to consider market entry barriers for socially disadvantaged individuals in its biennial communications marketplace report.
Emergency Reporting Act This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to report on certain activations of the Disaster Information Reporting System (the system through which communications providers report their operational status during times of crisis) and to adopt specified rules related to network outage reporting. If the system was activated for at least seven days, the FCC must issue a preliminary a report that includes (1) the number and duration of any service outages, (2) the approximate number of users or the amount of infrastructure potentially affected by a service outage, and (3) the number and duration of any outages at public safety answering points (PSAPs) that prevent the PSAPs from receiving and routing emergency calls to emergency service personnel. The FCC must also hold at least one public field hearing in the area affected by the event, and it must issue a final report that includes recommendations on how to improve the resiliency of affected communications or networks recovery efforts. The FCC must also determine the circumstances under which it shall require certain service providers to notify a PSAP of a communications service disruption that prevents the origination of 9–1–1 calls or the delivery of information that allows the PSAP to identify the number of or locate a 9–1–1 caller. Further, the FCC must require this notification to be made and specify the appropriate timing of the notification.
Refugee Sanitation Facility Safety Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of State, when providing overseas assistance for refugees, to ensure the provision of safe and secure access to sanitation facilities, with a special emphasis on women, girls, and vulnerable populations.
Preserving Home and Office Numbers in Emergencies Act of 2021 or the PHONE Act of 2021 This bill restricts the reassignment of a telephone number assigned to a subscriber for the provision of fixed wireline voice service. Specifically, for up to one year after a major disaster has been declared, a number may not be reassigned except at the request of the subscriber. At the request of a subscriber, this prohibition must be extended for an additional year. Further, a subscriber may cancel service without a cancellation fee and resubscribe with the same number and no fee if the subscriber is located in a disaster area and the residence where the number is located is inaccessible or uninhabitable.
This resolution calls on the United States and North Korea to begin the process of reuniting Korean Americans with their immediate relatives in North Korea. (Many families were divided after the signing of the Korean War Armistice Agreement, which divided the Korean Peninsula into North and South Korea.)
