Science and Technology

Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) Before Rep. Suzan DelBene, 54, became a member of Congress, she was a tech entrepreneur and a 12-year veteran of Microsoft, where she rose to become a corporate vice president. These days, the Washington Democrat is using her background to push Congress to look at ways tech can play a role in infrastructure. In 2015, she and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) teamed up to launch the Internet of Things Caucus to educate Congress on connected devices and their role in public... Read more

A bill aimed at modernizing the United States's aging law covering law enforcement access to emails and other stored files passed the House Monday night. The current law, known as the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, allows law enforcement to access any stored files without a warrant if such material is left on a third-party server for more than 180 days. But that law was passed in 1986 — three years before the invention of the internet — when computer owners did not have the same systems ... Read more

When former Microsoft Corp. executive Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) returned for the 115th Congress, it didn’t take long for her to address one of the issues racking the tech industry: President Trump’s campaign promise to create a religious registry for Muslims in the U.S. “This is a key area of concern given what’s happened with the recent executive order,” DelBene said, referring to Trump’s Jan. 27 entry ban on citizens and refugees of seven predominantly Muslim countries. The restrictions have tip... Read more

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today celebrated House passage of the Email Privacy Act (H.R. 387). This legislation would update the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), the main statute governing law enforcement access to digital records and content, such as email. The bill would require law enforcement to obtain a warrant to access emails. Current law allows law enforcement to obtain emails from third party providers without a warrant if they are older than 180 days. “Updat... Read more

Congress is attempting to fix the problem by restoring the Fourth Amendment. The Email Privacy Act, just re-introduced in the new Congress by Reps. Kevin Yoder (R-Kansas) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.) would force the government to obtain an individualized warrant before searching anyone’s email. Congress is attempting to fix the problem by restoring the Fourth Amendment. The Email Privacy Act, just re-introduced in the new Congress by Reps. Kevin Yoder (R-Kansas) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.) would forc... Read more

It was during the House special investigation into stem cell research that Democratic Rep. Suzan DelBene had had enough. Still in her second term at the time of the September hearing, the Washington state congresswoman was mercilessly excoriating her Republican colleagues’ decision to investigate fetal tissue science, an effort she saw as a shameful attempt to harass those engaged in medical research. “As someone who started her career in biomedical research, I’m deeply disappointed to see the i... Read more

A new House bill would prevent the incoming government from forcing tech companies to build a so-called Muslim registry. The bill, dubbed the No Religious Registry Act, is set to be reintroduced by Rep. Suzan DelBene (WA, 1st) after it failed just days after now president-elect Donald Trump won the election. It comes after the Republican candidate made repeated calls for a "total and complete shutdown" of Muslims entering the US during his campaign. But it's not a new idea. The Bush administrati... Read more

Representatives Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Suzan DelBene (D-WA), co-chairs of the Internet of Things Caucus, talked about technology and internet issues facing Congress and the incoming Trump administration. Topics included how technology devices were becoming needs instead of choices, and how the privacy, operations, and security aspects of devices and services were beginning to intersect with national security. Click here to read the whole story. Read more

The Email Privacy Act, which would require law enforcement get a warrant before searching emails and online communications older than 180 days, was reintroduced Monday by a bipartisan group of House lawmakers. The bill is meant to update the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), which considers communications older than 180 abandoned and therefore fair game to search without a warrant. “After spending two decades in the technology sector where things evolve at light speed, it is hard to ... Read more

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in reintroducing the Email Privacy Act. This legislation would update the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), the main statute governing law enforcement access to digital records and content, such as email. The bill would require law enforcement to obtain a warrant to access emails. Current law allows law enforcement to obtain emails from third party providers without a warrant if they are older than... Read more