Bill H.R.3952 titled “NOAA Chief Scientist Act” was received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation by the Senate. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Mikie Sherrill.
Bill H.R.4551 titled “RANSOMWARE Act Reporting Attacks from Nations Selected for Oversight and Monitoring Web Attacks and Ransomware from Enemies Act” was received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation by the Senate. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Gus Bilirakis. This bill requires the Federal Trade Commission to report on cross-border complaints received that involve ransomware or other cyber-related attacks committed by certain foreign individuals, companies, and governments. The report must focus specifically on attacks committed by (1) Russia, China, North Korea, or Iran; or (2) individuals or companies that are located in or have ties to those countries.
Bill H.R.4990 titled “ITS Codification Act Institute for Telecommunication Sciences Codification Act” was received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation by the Senate. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Buddy Carter Earl. In addition, the institute must establish an initiative to support the development of emergency communication and tracking technologies for use in locating trapped individuals in confined spaces where conventional radio communication is limited.
Bill H.R.7361 titled “National Weather Service Communications Improvement Act” was received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation by the Senate. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Randy Feenstra.
Bill H.R.7624 titled “Spectrum Innovation Act of 2022” was received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation by the Senate. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Michael Doyle.
Bill S.4676 titled “A bill to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to classify broadband as telecommunications service” was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation by the Senate. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Edward Markey with Tammy Baldwin, Richard Blumenthal, Cory Booker, Maria Cantwell, Ben Cardin, Tammy Duckworth, Richard Durbin, Dianne Feinstein, Maggie Hassan, Martin Heinrich, Mazie Hirono, Timothy Kaine, Angus King, Amy Klobuchar, Patrick Leahy, Ben Lujan, Jeff Merkley, Christopher Murphy, Patty Murray, Alex Padilla, John Reed, Bernard Sanders, Brian Schatz, Jeanne Shaheen, Tina Smith, Chris Van Hollen, Elizabeth Warren, Sheldon Whitehouse, Ron Wyden as cosponsors.
Most bills have a hearing where those involved explain why they are for or against the bill. Roughly 8,000 bills are addressed by committees each year but only about 800 make it to the floor of Congress, according to ushistory.org.
A 2019 report from the Brookings Institute argued committees aren’t capable of delving fully into the issues they address and are forced to rely on lobbyists.
| Bill Name | Sponsor | Action |
|---|---|---|
| NOAA Chief Scientist Act | Rep. Sherrill, Mikie | Senate |
| RANSOMWARE Act Reporting Attacks from Nations Selected for Oversight and Monitoring Web Attacks and Ransomware from Enemies Act | Rep. Bilirakis, Gus M. | Senate |
| ITS Codification Act Institute for Telecommunication Sciences Codification Act | Rep. Carter, Earl L. "Buddy" | Senate |
| National Weather Service Communications Improvement Act | Rep. Feenstra, Randy | Senate |
| Spectrum Innovation Act of 2022 | Rep. Doyle, Michael F. | Senate |
| A bill to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to classify broadband as telecommunications service. | Sen. Markey, Edward J. | Senate |
