CYBERCRIME
Your child’s privacy is at risk
House Republicans on Tuesday hammered the Education Department’s chief information officer, Danny Harris, accusing him of ethical lapses and failing to secure a database containing 135 million Social Security numbers.
“Cybersecurity for the federal government is a matter of quality management and effective leadership, not just tech,” said Rep. Will Hurd, a Texas Republican who is chairman of the information-technology subcommittee of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which held the hearing. He said the Education Department is a “prime target” for hackers.
The department’s officials repeatedly failed to fix problems identified in security audits, an inspector general report found. Harris testified that the department has hired two new cybersecurity experts and created a team to tackle overdue recommendations. He said the department also had sharply increased the number of users who log in with a security process known as two-factor authentication.
The acting secretary of education, John King, who took over for Arne Duncan last month, said the department has made progress but “I am not satisfied with where we are.”
Lawmakers aren’t either. As the hearing closed, they made clear that they weren’t finished with the department.
Harris, who has been CIO since 2008, was the subject of an investigation that found he had hired subordinates to work on side businesses, failed to report more than $10,000 in income from those ventures, participated in a panel that awarded a contract to a friend and helped a relative land a job at the agency. He has since taken part in “ethics counseling” provided by the department. — Joana Suleiman
DRUG LEGALIZATION
Will Congress ever reschedule marijuana?
When President Obama took office in 2008, 12 states allowed citizens access to medical marijuana. Now, eight years later, 40 states allow medical marijuana in some form, accessible to more than 200 million people. In four states, adults can buy, grow and sell cannabis legally. California could pass legalization this fall.
On Marijuana, Obama has repeatedly said that the states must lead, and Washington, D.C., will follow. There are 54 marijuana-related bills or amendments in Congress this session, the most ever. But most were relegated to committees where they will never be called for a hearing. That’s where the CARERS Act sits, a Senate bill that would move marijuana to Schedule II, a downgrade from the most serious Schedule I.
“The change in public attitude has been a sea of change,” said Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., one of the key members of Congress’ cannabis reform faction. “I don’t think rescheduling is something that would characterize as drastic. If we were scheduling today, marijuana would not be Schedule I — or Schedule II. In fact, it may not be scheduled at all.”
Obama says that removing marijuana from the Controlled Substance Act would have to come from Congress. One of his possible successors may feel differently. Bernie Sanders has introduced a legalization initiative in the Senate, and Blumenauer has said he’s had several “productive” conversations with Hillary Clinton.
“If we were scheduling from scratch and doing so based on scientific evidence, tobacco would be Schedule I,” said Blumenauer. “It’s an addictive killer.” — Joana Suleiman
EDUCATION
New law moves to limit over-testing
The Department of Education is helping states cut redundant or low-quality testing as part of implementation of a new major federal education law.
The first guidance from the department came on Feb. 3, outlining how states can use federal dollars to limit testing. “At too many schools, there are unnecessary tests without a clear purpose,” Acting Secretary of Education John King said in a video. “We’re issuing guidance to states and districts about which federal dollars may be used to help reduce unnecessary assessments and to improve the quality of assessments.”
Under federal law, states still have to test students annually in grades three through eight, and once in high school. But the Every Student Succeeds Act, signed in 2015, attracted bipartisan support in part because it reduces the emphasis on testing while maintaining minimum testing requirements so student progress can be measured.
The average student is required to take more than 112 tests, about eight per year, from pre-K through high school graduation, according to an October 2015 study by the Council of the Great City Schools. The study found no relationship between the amount of time students spend taking tests and academic progress on the Nation’s Report Card. — Jason Russell
ENERGY
Efficiency: The next big fashion trend
Researchers from SRI International are pioneering a new federally funded initiative to develop energy-efficient clothing, providing a head-to-foot personal heating and air-conditioning system.
The researchers will demo the new duds at the upcoming Advanced Research Projects Agency-energy conference. ARPA-e is the advanced research arm of the Energy Department.
The prototypes include a “wearable personal thermal regulatory system,” which will use “active textile” technology to manage the transfer of body heat from the palms of the hands and soles of the feet to the top of the head. If widely implemented, the technology could reduce the nation’s energy consumption by 2 percent.
The company also is building a shoe able to pull heat out of the body when it’s too hot and push heat to the body when it’s cold.
The ARPA-e Innovation Summit will be held in Washington Feb. 29-March 2. — John Siciliano
HEALTHCARE
FDA starts review of opioid policies
With several senators opposing his nomination to lead the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Robert Califf announced a wide-ranging plan to reassess the agency’s approach to opioid drugs.
Califf’s nomination has hit a snag as several Democratic senators have said they will place holds on his nomination because of anger over what they deem as agency inaction over opioid abuse, which kills 44 Americans every day. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said he would filibuster Califf’s nomination, which passed a committee vote recently.
The plan addresses many of the senators’ objections to the agency, which include approving too many painkillers as well as a kiddie-size version of powerful painkiller Oxycontin.
Actions include assembling an expert advisory committee to review applications for opioids without abuse-deterrent features that make the drug difficult to chew or snort, and to expand access to information on how to develop drugs with such features. The agency will develop changes to immediate-release opioid labeling that include “additional warnings and safety information that incorporate elements similar to the extended-release/long-acting opioid analgesics,” the agency said.
It is not clear if the new plan will be enough to mollify senators opposing Califf, a former Duke University researcher who led clinical trials for major pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Manchin, whose state is ravaged by the opioid epidemic, said he appreciates the agency’s effort, but was overall not impressed with it.
“These changes are a step in the right direction, but they are not enough given the devastating impact that opioid abuse and overdose death has had on our country.” — Robert King
REGULATIONS
New earthquake rules for feds
President Obama’s new earthquake regulations went into effect Friday, setting minimum safety requirements for all federally owned buildings to guard against tremors.
Given the number of states that don’t face significant threats from earthquakes, Obama’s order raises questions about why he chose to sign off on such a policy. Federal facilities in California may be the only ones routinely threatened by major quakes in the continental United States. The only other facilities at high risk would be in Alaska and embassies in Pacific Rim countries that are most prone to the tremors caused by shifting tectonic plates.
The executive policy, published in the Federal Register, includes an exemption process for agencies to request to waive their obligation to comply.
“Even when otherwise eligible for an exemption under this section, each agency shall strive to comply with the purposes, goals and requirements set forth in this order to the maximum extent practicable,” Obama’s executive order reads.
The new “Standards of Seismic Safety for Existing Federally Owned and Leased Buildings” will be applied to existing federal buildings and based on a “minimum level” of protection acceptable for managing earthquake risks. The National Institute of Standards and Technology will issue guidelines to help agencies comply. — John Siciliano
