Homeland+Security+and+Intelligence

Homeland Security/Intelligence Bills

Smart Grid:  A Smart Grid would ensure not only a quality highway system, but the overbuild of a high- speed broadband infrastructure by putting fiber-optics under our roads. We are pushing for fiber-optic wiring because as opposed to the copper wiring that we currently use, the fiber-optic wiring is smaller than human hair, but carries many more times the data. In some neighborhoods in Iowa, they have wiring to each home, but in Korea they have it wired to each room in each home. If we want to compete with other countries, we need to wire this into the whole country down to the room. Other benefits in telemedicine, it speeds up communications, and businesses are working from home and this by doing this, it would make the United States a more serious contender. By expanding telemedicine programs, we would be ensuring resilience to disasters. The smart grid marries information technology with our current electrical infrastructure, helping us support the energy needs of our 21st Century society. The smart grid is, in essence, an “energy Internet,” delivering real-time energy information and knowledge—empowering smarter energy choices. Considering the energy challenges we currently face, we must find a way to do more with less—and quickly. This is the role for a smarter grid, which: enables the integration and optimization of more renewable energy and plug-in electric vehicles, drives significant increases in the efficiency of our network, empowers consumers to manage their energy usage and save money without com promising their lifestyle, many smart grid technologies are "shovel ready". Here are just two examples: Advanced Metering Infrastructure and smart meters, which serve as the foundation for consumers and utilities to work together to maximize our current electrical resources through information exchange and grid management software and grid automation technologies that can deliver significant increased energy efficiencies in our network today. Most of what’s discussed in this bill is ready for deployment today. Funding deployment of existing Smart Grid technologies will provide immediate job creation, in fact, the $16 billion targeting clean, efficient American energy could create approximately 280,000 new jobs, with 150,000 being created in the first year. The money required would be $476 billion over 20 years, but it would provide 1.3 - 2 trillion dollars in benefits.


 * HR 102: Smart Grid. Puts in fiber-optics using our highway systems to ensure a quality highway system, the overbuild of a high-speed broadband infrastructure, funds programs in telemedicine (making us more resilient to disasters, helping small businesses, and making us more energy efficient.



Cybersecurity: The architecture of the Nation’s digital infrastructure, based largely upon the Internet, is not secure or resilient. Without major advances in the security of these systems or significant change in how they are constructed or operated, it’s doubtful that the United States can protect itself from the growing threat of cybercrime and state-sponsored intrusions and operations. Our digital infrastructure has already suffered intrusions that have allowed criminals to steal hundreds of millions of dollars and nation-states and other entities to steal intellectual property and sensitive military information. Other intrusions threaten to damage portions of our critical infrastructure.

Our plan would go like this: 1.) Appoint a cybersecurity policy official responsible for coordinating the Nation’s cybersecurity policies and activities 2.) Designate a privacy and civil liberties official to the NSC cybersecurity directorate. 3.) Prepare a cybersecurity incident response plan; initiate a dialog to enhance public-private partnerships with an eye toward streamlining, aligning, and providing resources to optimize their contribution and engagement. 4.) In collaboration with other EOP entities, develop a framework for research and development strategies that focus on game-changing technologies that have the potential to enhance the security, reliability, resilience, and trustworthiness of digital infrastructure; provide the research community access to event data to facilitate developing tools, testing theories, and identifying workable solutions. 5.) Build a cybersecurity-based identity management vision and strategy that addresses privacy and civil liberties interests, leveraging privacy-enhancing technologies for the Nation.

HR 103: Cybersecurity. Plan for and build a cybersecurity-based identity management vision and strategy, leveraging privacy-enhancing technologies for the Nation.