Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Amendment to CISPA bill safeguards civil liberties and ensures strong congressional oversight of federal government’s cyber security efforts.
The U.S. House Wednesday unanimously passed an amendment authored by Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-11th) that protects privacy and safeguards civil liberties by limiting the authority of federal government intelligence operations to share classified cyber threat intelligence with private-sector entities and utilities, according to a news release from the congressman's office. Connolly’s amendment to the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) also ensures appropriate congressional oversight of cybersecurity activities. The amendment, which passed the House by a vote of 418-0, was supported by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and others concerned with individual privacy rights. Speaking on the House floor, Connolly …
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Cox launches more than 750 locations throughout Fairfax County, 15 of them in Chantilly.
Northern Virginians on the go now have more places to tap into WiFi. Cox Communications launched more than 750 wireless Internet hotspots this week across Fairfax County, available for free to its Internet customers and soon at a small fee to others. Three of the hotspots are in the Vienna area. (See map at right). U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11th) attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Northern Virginia this week along with Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova and other local officials. “In today’s technology-driven society and economy, ready access to broadband is essential and Northern Virginia continues to be a leader in this field thanks to the investments of Cox and other regional internet providers,” Connolly …
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Officials from Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Stafford counties met Thursday in Arlington to discuss six potential sites Thursday.
Local, state and congressional leaders met Thursday in Arlington to discuss six potential sites for a new FBI headquarters, including Washington Dulles Airport and to present a unified front in their commitment to landing the new federal complex somewhere in Northern Virginia. Democrat U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, who called the meeting, said leaders from Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Stafford counties had a "singular focus" in bringing the FBI headquarters to the Old Dominion. "We're all committed to finding a home for the FBI in the commonwealth of Virginia," Moran said during a news conference following the meeting. "We are all going to promote Virginia as the best place for this relocation." Arlington's role was simply as host. It has …
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Virginia Democrat says he's "holding his nose," but wants to avoid fiscal cliff, sequestration and extend middle class tax cuts.
Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-11th) said Tuesday while he is "holding his nose," he is urging his colleagues to vote for a fiscal cliff deal the Senate passed in the early hours of the new year. “This is not a perfect package, but it is something that gets us by until we can tackle the larger issues in the next Congress,” Connolly said. “I pray God that the next Congress is more willing to compromise than this one.” It was not certain Tuesday when the House, controlled by Republicans, would take up the fiscal cliff legislation. The Virginia Democrat said the Senate-passed measure provides an opportunity to: “There is a lot of good in this package," Connolly said. "But there is also a lot that is not addressed at all." “We have a debt …
Monday, December 24, 2012
Forty House members sign letter backing proposed program added to any end-of-the-year fiscal cliff deal.
A letter co-written by Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-11th), and signed by 40 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, urges Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi to support an immediate $200 million gun buyback program in any end-of-the-year fiscal cliff deal. Connolly, whose district includes the national headquarters for the NRA, and U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida authored the letter to the House leaders. “Gun buybacks have proven successful in communities across the nation,” Connolly and Deutch said in a “Dear Colleague” to House members. “Adding $200 million to the final compromise on the fiscal cliff could remove as many as one million guns from our streets.” Including the gun buyback program…
Friday, July 13, 2012
Moran, Connolly, Wolf want the FCC to reconsider a regulation concerning backup power that the commission proposed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Northern Virginia's three congressmen called on the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday to take action that will prevent future outages to the region's 911 systems. In a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, U.S. Reps. Jim Moran, Gerry Connolly and Frank Wolf asked that the commission dust off a post-Hurricane Katrina regulation that would have required all telecommunications companies to provide at least eight hours of backup power for all cell phone towers. The regulation was subsequently struck down on a technicality related to how the commission handled public comments, according to a news release. “In the event of an emergency situation, whether it be a natural disaster or man-made threat, the public needs confidence …
Thursday, July 12, 2012
As Virginia lawmakers disagree over Affordable Care Act provision, tell us: Would participating in the expansion help or hurt the state?
As Gov. Bob McDonnell considers opting out of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion, Virginia lawmakers are divided on whether the program would help or hurt the state. In a letter to McDonnell on Thursday, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Republican who has announced a 2013 gubernatorial bid, encouraged the governor to reject the program, saying Medicaid expansion — which he says accounts for nearly 20 percent of Virginia's total general fund spending — would place "tremendous fiscal pressure on the Commonwealth and divert funds from other state programs, such as public education, higher education, public safety, natural resource protection and even other critically important health care programs." McDonnell sent a letter to Virginia …
Thursday, June 28, 2012
High Court ruled 5-4 today to uphold what some call 'Obamacare.'
Area leaders were quick to react today to the news that the Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama's health reform law. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R): "Today's Supreme Court ruling is extremely disappointing for Virginia and for America. The PPACA will create a costly and cumbersome system that will impair our country's ability to recover from these challenging economic times, infringes on our citizen's liberties, will harm small businesses, and will impose dramatic unfunded mandates on Virginia and all states. Simply put, this is a blow to freedom. America needs market-based solutions that give patients more choice, not less." (For the governor's full statement, visit his Web site.) On his Twitter feed, the governor wrote: "Simply …
joe brewer
9:16 am on Tuesday, January 15, 2013
If you get the FBI headquarters at the airport you would probably come close to making the Silver Line pay for itself. Sure sounds a lot better then a cargo hub that Loudoun County will receive zero dollars in revenue from and that we will have to provide improved roads for the increased 18 wheel traffic that benefits the MWAA. more ›