Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today voted for a patent reform bill in the House Judiciary Committee. The Innovation Act passed out of the committee by a vote of 24 to 8. After voting for the bill in the markup, DelBene issued the following statement: “America needs a robust patent system in order to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in today’s competitive global economy. All businesses in Washington state, large and small, should have the benefit of a patent system that doesn’t force...
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Dear Friend, This week, the Associated Press reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has repeatedly used aircraft for surveillance missions over a number of U.S. cities, including Seattle. As your representative in Congress, protecting civil liberties is one of my highest priorities. That’s why I led 15 of my colleagues in sending a letter to FBI Director James Comey, requesting a briefing on the Bureau’s aircraft surveillance program and the legal authority behind it. The repor...
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Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today led members in sending a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey demanding explanations to recent reports that the Bureau used aircraft for secret surveillance missions over several U.S. cities. “Some of these aircraft were reported to be equipped with advanced surveillance devices that can pick up data from thousands of cell phones and capture high-definition images,” the letter states. “The possibility that that these surv...
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Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) applauded Senate-passage of sweeping reforms to rein in government surveillance programs, but said more should be done. “Bulk collection of American communications records is a gross violation of our civil liberties. I’m glad Congress has finally taken action to meaningfully rein in the government’s surveillance programs. But this is just the first step in protecting Americans communications from unwarranted searches,” DelBene said. “The USA FREEDOM Act is a ...
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Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today opposed a bill that would restrict government investments in science, technology and innovation based on partisan ideology. The bill makes specific cuts to programs designed to combat climate change, promote energy efficiency and spur renewable energy research and development. “Through my work in the private sector and as an entrepreneur, I learned the importance of making smart investments in cutting-edge technologies,” DelBene said. “No business would...
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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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Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) applauded House-passage of sweeping reforms to rein in government surveillance programs. DelBene also delivered a floor speech ahead of the vote. “Bulk collection of American communications records is a gross violation of our civil liberties. I’m glad the House has finally taken action to meaningfully rein in the government’s surveillance programs. It’s time for the Senate to follow suit and end bulk data collection,” DelBene said. “The USA FREEDOM Act is a c...
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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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Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) applauded the Second Circuit’s unanimous ruling that the National Security Agency’s (NSA) bulk collection of phone records is illegal. The court found that the government’s interpretation of Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act to permit bulk collection of Americans’ phone records has been far beyond the scope of what the law intended or allows. “Today’s ruling by the Second Circuit is a welcome development, and I hope that proponents of a clean reauthorizat...
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In a bipartisan vote today, the House Judiciary Committee passed the USA FREEDOM Act, which would rein in the National Security Agency’s (NSA) domestic surveillance program and protect Americans’ privacy by creating greater transparency, oversight and accountability. Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) is an original cosponsor of the USA FREEDOM Act. After committee passage, DelBene issued the following statement: “Today’s action by the House Judiciary Committee brings us one step closer to rei...
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