Davidson anti-hacking bill headed to floor vote
Gifts push Brown’s re-election coffers past $8 million.
A bill introduced WASHINGTON — by U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Troy, aimed at getting the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to speed up cyber-security risk controls to prevent future hacker attacks is on its way to the floor of the House of Representatives.
The bill passed the House Financial Services Committee last week by a vote of 59-1.
The bill comes after a Government Accountability Office report finding that the SEC’s computing system has deficiencies that could jeopardize the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information. Davidson’s bill would require the SEC to freeze reporting to the Consolidated Audit Trail until proper protections are in place to secure personal information as well as take other actions to secure its data.
“We need to make sure our house is in order at the SEC,” said Davidson, R-Troy. “We know there are serious flaws in the way the SEC maintains its data, and in the ways they respond to and communicate errors and omissions. These flaws undermine the trust and confidence of the customers the SEC regulates.”
Brown campaign bankroll hits $8.3M
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, raised $2.6 million for his re-election bid during the last quarter, his campaign announced Tuesday, most of it coming from individual donors. Brown, who is running for a third term, has nearly $8.3 million in the bank for his 2018 campaign.
Brown raised $2.3 million from individuals during the quarter and $244,175 from political action committees, according to documents his campaign filed with the Federal Election Commission.
The numbers cover the three months that ended Sept. 30. The reports aren’t due until the 15th, and Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, a Republican who hopes to unseat Brown, has not yet released his numbers.
In the previous quarter, which ended on June 30, Brown had $6.68 million in the bank to Mandel’s $3.35 million.
Mike Gibbons, who is also seeking the Republican nomination for the seat, had $602,420 in the bank, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Bill seeks to aid refugee education
Former teacher Steve Chabot last week saw a bill aimed at protecting the education of kids displaced by conflicts overseas pass the House of Representatives.
The Protecting Girls’ Access to Education Act, introduced by Chabot, R-Cincinnati and Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., passed the House overwhelmingly. It aims to address the 30 million children worldwide who are living as refugees. Some 20 million are not receiving a primary education.
This bill encourages the U.S. government to make the education of children in areas of conflict a priority in their assistance efforts and directs the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development to increase the access of displaced children, especially girls, to educational, economic, and entrepreneurial opportunities. The goal is to encourage countries to provide safe, quality primary and secondary education for displaced children.
Portman to get award
Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, will receive an award for public service and bipartisanship from a public policy center chaired by former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.
Portman will attend the 18th annual Jefferson-Lincoln Awards next month in Pebble Beach, Calif. Before becoming secretary of defense and director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Panetta was a Democratic congressman from nearby Monterey, Calif.
The Panetta Institute for Public Policy presents the awards to “individuals who have dedicated their careers to the most vital principles of our democracy,” Panetta said in a statement.
Portman will receive the award alongside Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I.