Eleanor Norton

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of S. 272, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3533) to establish occupational series for Federal positions in software development, software engineering, data science, and data management, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3533, the Federal Career Opportunities in Computer Science Work Act. I commend my colleagues, Representative Obernolte and Representative Welch, for their bipartisan work on this measure. This bill would require the Office of Personnel Management to update or establish occupational series for Federal civilian positions in software development, software engineering, data science, and data management within 270 days of enactment. It would implement a recommendation that was included in the final report of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. In its report, the commission stated: ``The artificial intelligence competition will not be won by the side with the best technology. It will be won by the side with the best, most diverse and tech-savvy talent.'' To attract and retain digital talent, the commission recommended that the Federal Government create the civilian occupational series that are included in this bill. This bipartisan bill would help support recruitment of professionals with these specialized skills for Federal employment. This is an important step in helping Federal agencies recruit, hire, and retain the talent that is needed to remain competitive in the digital domain. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this bill, I urge my colleagues to do the same, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 3533, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3599) to establish a Federal rotational cyber workforce program for the Federal cyber workforce, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 3599.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 3599, the Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act. This bill is the product of bipartisan cooperation of our Oversight and Reform Committee members, Representatives Ro Khanna and Nancy Mace, and I want to thank them for their work on this bill. Earlier this year, our committee held a hearing on the Government Accountability Office's 2021 High-Risk Report, which details the areas of government operations at greatest risk of failing to meet the considerable challenges they face. Cybersecurity was near the top of the list, along with the cyber skills gap that persists across the Federal workforce. As the Government Accountability Office report described, Federal agencies are struggling to ensure that staff have the skills required to address the critical cybersecurity risks and challenges that our government faces. Recent cyberattacks have demonstrated the dire consequences of failing to improve the Federal Government's cybersecurity operations. These include the SolarWinds breach, in which Russian hackers infiltrated the networks of nine Federal agencies and went undetected for months. Around the same time, cyberattacks linked to the Chinese government targeted Microsoft's enterprise email software and threatened the internal data of Federal agencies. In addition, Russian hackers successfully breached the servers of the U.S. Department of State and stole thousands of emails. The Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act, as it is called, would enable cybersecurity professionals in the Federal Government to rotate through assignments outside of their regular position. This would allow more agencies to benefit from their enterprise and give program participants the opportunities for professional development. The program would be authorized for 5 years and, after 3 years, the Government Accountability Office would assess the operation and effectiveness of the program. This legislation would go a long way toward improving Federal agencies' capacity to strengthen cybersecurity operations, help retain top talent, and facilitate the exchange of expertise in this critical field. The security of Federal information technology systems and data is essential to national security, to preserving public trust in government institutions, and to ensuring that agencies meet their missions in serving the American people. I strongly support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna).

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 3599, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure before us.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this bill will give the District of Columbia the authority to increase the pay of the D.C. chief financial officer. D.C. requested that I introduce this bill so that it can retain and recruit the best CFOs. At the outset, I want to emphasize that the CFO is paid exclusively with local D.C. funds, not Federal funds. Under the D.C. Home Rule Act, Congress established a maximum rate of pay for the CFO, and the D.C. council has no authority to increase that rate. Congress does not cap, or otherwise establish, the pay of any other D.C. employee. Under this bill, the CFO would be paid at the greater of a rate equal to the maximum rate of pay of the CFO in current law or at a rate established in law by the District of Columbia. The CFO was established by Congress in 1995. Congress vested the CFO with extraordinary powers and designed the CFO to be independent of the D.C. Mayor and council. The CFO may be removed only for cause by the Mayor, subject to the approval of two-thirds of the council and a 30- day congressional review and comment period. This bill would maintain the independence of the CFO by establishing a permanent floor on the CFO's pay and by prohibiting the council from reducing the CFO's pay during the CFO's term. The D.C. CFO is unique in the United States. D.C. cannot obligate or expend funds without the CFO's certification that available funds exist. The CFO manages a $17 billion budget that consists of State, county, and city functions, and the CFO has more than 1,700 employees. D.C. is currently searching for a permanent CFO. Although the CFO is the most important non-elected official in the district, more than 20 D.C. employees are paid more than the CFO. D.C. must compete with both the private and public sectors for high-quality CFOs, and there are many private- and public-sector CFOs who are paid more than the D.C. CFO. I thank Chairwoman Maloney for her support of this bill, and I thank Ranking Member Comer for his support of this bill in committee. This bill is critical to the financial operations of the District of Columbia. I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 1204, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 978) to require the head of each agency to establish a safety plan relating to COVID-19 for any worksite at which employees or contractors are required to be physically present during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 978 would require Federal agencies to establish protocols and protections to ensure the health and safety of Federal employees upon returning to their regular workstations. Each agency would be responsible for posting its policy on its website and properly notifying employees of the procedures within 60 days of enactment or 30 days before a closed worksite reopens. Within 6 months, the inspector general of each agency must submit to Congress a review on implementation and communication of the procedures. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill, which is named in honor of one of Representative Connolly's constituents, a Federal employee, who died tragically of coronavirus in May of last year. Federal employees both here in Washington, D.C., and across the country have been on the front lines of the government response to the coronavirus pandemic from the beginning. As more are preparing to return to their regular worksites, this legislation will help make sure that policies are clearly conveyed to employees so that return happens safely. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support this bill, and I urge Members to vote ``yes.''

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), my good friend and colleague.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 2617, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 2617.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Performance Enhancement Reform Act, introduced by Government Operations subcommittee chair Gerry Connolly and Ranking Member Jody Hice, builds on the Government Performance and Reform Act of 1993. That law requires Federal agencies to develop 5-year strategic plans and annual performance plans and reports. The law was updated in 2010 to require greater involvement by the Office of Management and Budget to incorporate governmentwide priority goals and to improve accountability by requiring agencies to publish these plans and reports online. The Performance Enhancement Reform Act would require the development of a more comprehensive annual performance plan through collaboration between senior agency leaders, including chief human capital officers, chief performance officers, chief information officers, and the chief financial officer. The bill would also require agency performance plans to include descriptions of any skill set the agency needs to meet its performance goals. This would be an important reform to identify any gaps in expertise or resources an agency must address to accomplish its goals. This commonsense, bipartisan measure will enhance agency management and strengthen the focus on achieving the agencies' missions. I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 2617, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly).

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials on S. 2382.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of S. 2382, which would allow the National Cyber Director to accept details from other elements of the Federal Government as on a nonreimbursable basis. Last year the Committee on Oversight and Reform helped advance legislation to establish the Office of the National Cyber Director in the Executive Office of the President. The bipartisan effort fulfilled a key recommendation of the U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission, which was established by the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act to review the condition of our Nation's cybersecurity posture and to develop solutions to defend against cyber threats. The National Cyber Director Act was signed into law through last year's National Defense Authorization Act, creating a centralized cybersecurity position in the White House to assist in the development and streamlining of the Federal Government's strategy, coordination, and response to cyber threats. We were thrilled to see President Biden nominate and the Senate confirm Chris Inglis, a widely-respected member of the Solarium Commission, as the Nation's first National Cyber Director. Now, Mr. Inglis needs a team to get to work immediately to address cybersecurity, which remains one of the most urgent threats on the Government Accountability Office's high-risk list. Indeed, the State and non-state actors from Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and all corners of the globe are waging a silent war capable of shutting down our critical infrastructure, breaching our sensitive information system, and jeopardizing critical sectors in America and globally. Until Congress acts to provide the Office of the National Cyber Director its first appropriation, the Office requires the ability to bring in details on a nonreimbursable basis. This bill would grant that authority. Cyberattacks are critical, widespread, complex, and escalating as a threat to our national and economic security. A challenge as grave and pervasive as cybersecurity requires that our government be strategic, organized, and ready. It is imperative that we pass this bill immediately to allow the Office of the National Cyber Director to get up running as it awaits its full appropriation. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin).