Senate Committee Passes Hassan-Backed Bipartisan Bills to Strengthen Defenses Against Cyber and Potential Terrorist Attacks

WASHINGTON – The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee today advanced Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and colleagues’ bipartisan legislation to strengthen defenses against cyber and potential terrorist attacks, and to combat drug trafficking and undisclosed foreign lobbying. The Committee also passed a number of additional bipartisan bills that Senator Hassan worked on.

“As we continue to see increasingly sophisticated threats to our homeland security, I am focused on working across the aisle to pass commonsense legislation that will help keep Granite Staters safe,” said Senator Hassan. “From cyberattacks on our hospitals and schools to an influx of deadly fentanyl on our streets, Granite Staters know that threats to our homeland are not remote, but a pressing concern. I am glad to see my bipartisan bills to strengthen homeland security pass the Committee, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support these bills.”  

The Committee passed the following Hassan-backed bipartisan bills to strengthen our homeland security:

• The Reporting Efficiently to Proper Officials in Response to Terrorism (REPORT) Act, which Senator Hassan introduced, would require federal agencies to report to Congress after a terrorist attack with information about exactly what happened and recommendations to prevent future attacks.
• The National Risk Management Act, which Senator Hassan introduced with Senator Mitt Romney, would strengthen the security of critical infrastructure sectors by requiring the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to continually conduct a five-year National Risk Management Cycle.
• The Eradicating Narcotic Drugs and Formulating Effective New Tools to Address National Yearly Losses of Life (END FENTANYL) Act, which Senator Hassan joined in introducing, would help stop drug smuggling by requiring the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to update its policies at least once every three years to ensure that drug interdiction guidance is up to date.
• The Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act, which Senator Hassan joined in introducing, would close a loophole, frequently exploited by the Chinese Communist Party, which allows some entities to conceal their role in lobbying efforts.

In addition, the committee passed the following Hassan-backed bipartisan bills to reduce wasteful government spending:

• The Identifying and Eliminating Wasteful Programs Act, which Senator Hassan introduced, would create a system to facilitate agency identification of wasteful programs and assist Congress with developing legislation to eliminate those programs.
• The Duplication Scoring Act, which Senator Hassan joined in introducing, requires the Government Accountability Office to review bills in order to help prevent further duplication within the federal government.

###