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Office of the Director

Congressional and Legislative Affairs

The Office of Congressional & Legislative Affairs coordinates NIST activities regarding Congress; maintains liaison between NIST & Congressional Committees having jurisdiction over NIST; serves as a focal point for handling Congressional correspondence & inquiries; advises on the development of legislation required by NIST; and provides information on legislation affecting NIST.

2020 Congressional Testimony

On March 11, 2020, Dr. Walter G. Copan, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director of NIST testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Technology.  The hearing was entitled "Reauthorization of the National Institute of Standards and Technology" and was focused on highlighting NIST's plans and accomplishments in critical technology areas.  

On February 11, 2020, Rodney Petersen, Director of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Technology.  The hearing was entitled "More Hires, Fewer Hacks: Developing the U.S. Cybersecurity Workforce" and focused on exploring the challenges faced by organizations in both the public and private sectors in recruiting skilled cybersecurity professionals and discussed the strategies to expand and diversify the cybersecurity workforce pipeline to meet the demand.

On February 6, 2020, Dr. Charles Romine, Director of the NIST Information Technology Laboratory testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security  The hearing was entitled "About Face: Examining the Department of Homeland Security's Use of Facial Recognition and Other Biometric Technologies, Part II".  The hearing was focused on examining the Department of Homeland Security's use of facial recognition technology. 

On January 15, 2020, Dr. Walter G. Copan, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director of NIST testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.  The hearing entitled "Industries of the Future" was focused on how the United States can maintain its global economic edge through its leadership in the Industries of the Future. 

On January 15, 2020, Dr. Charles Romine, Director of the NIST Information Technology Laboratory testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.  The hearing was entitled "Facial Recognition Technology (Part III): Ensuring Commercial Transparency & Accuracy". The purpose of the hearing was to examine the various ways that private sector entities use facial recognition technology; the potential transparency, privacy, accuracy, ownership, and security implications involved in its use and the partnerships these companies develop with government entities; and the possible legislative solutions that can be implemented to avoid these risks. 

2019 Congressional Testimony

On December 5, 2019, Dr. Scott Weaver, Director, National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Technology and Subcommittee on Environment.  The hearing, entitled "Calm Before the Storm: Reauthorizing the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program" was focused on reviewing the activities of NWIRP. 

On September 10, 2019, Ms. Susan Ballou, Program Manager, Forensic Science Research Program testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.  The purpose of the hearing was to review the "Progress and Future Needs of Forensic Science".  

On July 10, 2019, Dr. Charles Romine, Director of the NIST Information Technology Laboratory testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security.  The title and purpose of this hearing was "Use of Biometric Technologies at the Department of Homeland Security."

On June 25, 2019, Dr. Charles Romine, Director of the NIST Information Technology Laboratory testified before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Subcommittee on Investigations & Oversight and Subcommittee on Research & Technology.  The title and purpose of this hearing was "Election Security: Voting Technology Vulnerabilities."

On June 4, 2019, Dr. Charles Romine, Director of the NIST Information Technology Laboratory testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.  The title and purpose of this hearing was "Facial Recognition Technology: Ensuring Transparency in Government Use."

On May 21, 2019, Jason Averill, Chief of the Materials and Structural Systems Division testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight.   The title of this hearing was "The Need for Resilience: Preparing America's Transportation Infrastructure for Climate Change."

On April 30, 2019, Dr. Charles Romine, Director of the NIST Information Technology Laboratory  testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Security.   The purpose of the hearing was to discuss "Strengthening the Cybersecurity of the Internet of Things (IoT)."

On April 9, 2019, Dr. Walter G. Copan, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director of NIST testified before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Subcommittee on Research and Technology.  The purpose of the hearing was to review the NIST Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Request.  

On March 26, 2019, Mr. Michael Molnar, Director of the NIST Office of Advanced Manufacturing testified before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Subcommittee on Research and Technology and Subcommittee on Energy.  The title of his hearing was "Revitalizing American Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing."

On March 13, 2019, Dr. Charles Romine, Director of the NIST Information Technology Laboratory testified before the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.  The title of his hearing was "Cyber Crime: An Existential Threat to Small Business." 

2018 Congressional Testimony

On July 25, 2018, Dereck Orr, Division Chief of the Public Safety Communications Research Division testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications.  The title of his hearing and testimony was "Innovations in the Field of Emergency Preparedness".

On July 11, 2018, Donna Dodson, Director of the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence and NIST Chief Cybersecurity Advisor testified before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.  The title of her hearing and testimony was "Complex Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities: Lessons Learned from Spectre and Meltdown".

On July 11, 2018, Dr. Charles Romine, Director of the NIST Information Technology Laboratory, testified before the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.  The title of his hearing and testimony was  "Election Security Preparations: Federal and Vendor Perspectives".

On June 27, 2018, Dr. Charles Romine, Director of the NIST Information Technology Laboratory, testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Subcommittee on Oversight.  The title of his hearing and testimony was "Bolstering Data Privacy and Mobile Security: An Assessment of IMSI Catcher Threats".

On May 31, 2018, Dr. Steven McCabe, Director of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.  The focus of the hearing was "A Review of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP)".

On April 18, 2018, Dr. Joannie Chin, Deputy Director of the NIST Engineering Laboratory, testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Subcommittee on Research and Technology.  The title of the hearing was "Composite Materials – Strengthening Infrastructure Development".

On February 14, 2018, Dr. Charles Romine, Director of the NIST Information Technology Laboratory, testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Subcommittee on Oversight and Subcommittee on Research and Technology.  The title of the hearing and his testimony was "Beyond Bitcoin: Emerging Applications for Blockchain Technology".

On January 30, 2018, Dr. Walter G. Copan, NIST Director, testified before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.  The title of the hearing and his testimony was "One Year Later: The American Innovation and Competitiveness Act".

2017 Congressional Testimony

On December 13, 2017, Dr. Michael J. Fasolka, Acting Director of the Material Measurement Laboratory testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Subcommittee on Research and Technology.  The title of the hearing and his testimony was "Head Health Challenge: Preventing Head Trauma from Football Field to Shop Floor to Battlefield".

On October 25, 2017, Donna Dodson, Director of the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence and NIST Chief Cybersecurity Advisor testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.  The title of the hearing and her testimony was "Bolstering the Government's Cybersecurity: Assessing the Risk of Kaspersky Lab Products to the Federal Government".

On October 24, 2017, Dr. Carl J. Williams, Acting Director of the NIST Physical Measurement Laboratory testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on "American Leadership in Quantum Technology".

On October 11, 2017, Dr. Kent Rochford, Acting Undersecretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director of NIST testified before the  House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Subcommittee on Oversight and Subcommittee on Research and Technology.  The title of the hearing and his testimony was "Physical Security: NIST and Commerce Need to Complete Efforts to Address Persistent Challenges". 

On June 28, 2017, Dr. Laurie Locascio, Director of the NIST Material Measurement Laboratory testified before a Joint House Subcommittee on  Energy and Subcommittee on Research & Technology Hearing on "Material Science: Building the Research" .    

On March 22, 2017, Dr. Charles Romine, Director of the NIST Information Technology Laboratory, testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on "Facial Recognition Technology".

On March 8, 2017, Dr. Charles Romine, Director of the NIST Information Technology Laboratory, testified before the House Committee on Small Business. The title of the Hearing and his testimony was "Small Business Cybersecrity: Federal Resources & Coordination".

On February 14, 2017, Dr. Charles Romine, Director of the NIST Information Technology Laboratory testified before the House Committee on Science Space and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Technology. His testimony was entitled "Strengthening U.S. Cybersecurity Capabilities."

Resources

Information for Kids

Contacts

NIST Congressional Inquiries