All loving couples deserve equal rights under the law, and the U.S. Supreme Court has an important opportunity to help make that a reality. Two years ago, the Supreme Court took a step toward marriage equality when it declared Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was unconstitutional. Now with the landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges before the court, justices can ensure marriages of all couples throughout our nation are recognized, no matter what state they happen to live in. Before th...
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Skagit Valley College students and staff meet with Congresswoman Suzan DelBene to discuss college affordability issues. MOUNT VERNON, Wash. – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) recently met with Skagit Valley College students to discuss the financial challenges of getting a degree. “Growing up, my parents struggled financially. But with student loans and financial aid, I was able to go to college and get a great education. It’s our responsibility to make sure students today have the same oppor...
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House Democrats have introduced legislation to create a federal ban on gay conversion therapy. The Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act, unveiled Tuesday by Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), would amend the Federal Trade Commission Act to clarify that providing conversion therapy to any person in exchange for monetary compensation or advertising these services is an unfair and deceptive act. This legislation would force the Federal Trade Commission to enforce the ban to protect ...
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May 13, 2015 -- Rep. Rodney Davis, chairman of the House Agriculture subcommittee on biotechnology, horticulture and research, said lawmakers are concerned about a lack of communication between USDA and EPA, particularly regarding issues on pollinator health. “We see a disagreement between agencies that are supposed to be working together,” the Illinois Republican said today at a subcommittee hearing into the health of honey bees. “This is what frustrates us and why you're here,” Davis told the ...
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Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-1) spoke withWashingtonExec as a leader of the Congressional Caucus on the Internet of Things (IoT) about her goals for the initiative, why digital information policies should be updated to today’s technology capabilities and the importance of educating citizens on the security and privacy expectations of consumer technologies. We also asked Congresswoman DelBene what she considers an IoT device and how she thinks those in the federal contracting space can best he...
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MELISSA BLOCK, HOST: The bulk collection of Americans' phone records that Edward Snowden exposed two years ago is dividing the Republican-led Congress. The issue has come to a head because the part of the USA Patriot Act used to carry out that bulk collection expires at the end of the month. The house will vote today to modify that provision by banning the massive collection of phone data. But Senate GOP leaders want to prolong the program for five more years. NPR's David Welna reports. DAVID WE...
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Government agencies should not be able to easily obtain and view Americans’ emails, photos and other personal data without a warrant. Unfortunately, the law that protects private information stored electronically from government searches dates back to 1986, when Congress passed the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) – long before the technologies that are ubiquitous today could have even been fathomed by lawmakers. It is long past time we update this legislation. Though ECPA is broad i...
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Like most of the American public, I remain outraged and deeply troubled by reports of far-reaching and invasive government surveillance programs. As we now know, the government has interpreted Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act to secretly obtain personal data from U.S. citizens, whether or not they are suspected of any illegal activity. The post-9/11 world has certainly offered a new set of challenges for those charged with keeping our nation safe and secure. The heinous attacks on our homeland...
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A group of 4-H members shared their passions about the future of agriculture with the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research today and emphasized why it's more important than ever before to build “bridges” between rural and urban residents. The 17 young people, delegates to the National 4-H Conference, came from states as small in land mass as Rhode Island and as large as Texas. They were from urban, suburban and rural areas, raising livestock ranging from “f...
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Roman conquerors, Egyptian pharaohs, pirates, movie stars and even a few Klingons spent the evening together during the 24th-annual Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce dinner and auction. The Hollywood-themed event, which took place on April 4 at Camp Huston in Gold Bar, included live and silent auctions, dessert auction, a raffle and costume contest. The event was considered a success, especially by Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Debbie Copple and her husband, Brian, who serves as...
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