According to a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release from February 22, 2021, a Puerto Rican man was sentenced to one year in federal prison for violating the Lacey Act, which prohibits the trafficking and false labeling of protected coral reef organisms.

The Biden administration recently proposed the 2021 U.S. Citizenship Act to Congress. The bill has been introduced in both chambers by Congressional Democrats. The act would revamp the United States immigration system and reverse many immigration initiatives that were introduced by the Trump administration. The plan also includes several reforms aimed at improving the homeland security workforce.

The African American Federal Executive Association, Executive Women in Government, Senior Executives Association, and Management Concepts partnered to present "It Starts with Us: Forging the Future of Federal Leadership.” The event featured Ambassador Susan Rice, current head of the White House Domestic Policy Council, as a keynote speaker and then continued with a panel discussion on the role of leaders in increasing equity, diversity, and inclusion in the federal leadership cadre of the future.

The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) is the largest nonpartisan, nonprofit professional association exclusively representing federal law enforcement officers. FLEOA represents more than 30,000 federal law enforcement officers from over 65 different agencies.

Tonya Hoover supports the training, education, and professional development of fire departments so they are better prepared to respond to all hazards. Learn more about the staff behind the FEMA mission.

Representatives Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) recently reintroduced the Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act. The bill has bipartisan support and would guarantee that law enforcement officers across the federal government have full access to federal retirement benefits.

The House Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing on February 11, 2021 titled The U.S. Immigration System: The Need for Bold Reforms. The discussion covered a number of topics ranging from the terminology of using “illegal alien” versus “undocumented immigrant” to some policy steps the government can take to better approach the immigration system and solve its problems.

According to a Department of Justice press release from February 16, 2021, a North Carolina sport supplement company owner, Brian Michael Parks, pleaded guilty to one count of distributing unapproved new drugs with the intent to mislead and defraud the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and consumers. He was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison.

Learn what it took to be a Transportation Security Officer in the days before the pandemic and how they were trained to protect the traveling public.

McKenzie Holmes was a U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”) employee from 1989, until his removal in 2018. At the time of his removal, he worked as a city carrier at the Fort Dearborn Station in Chicago.

The latest FEDtalk episode sparks a conversation on fueling compromise at a time when Americans are divided. With slim Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, stakeholders see a new opportunity to bridge the partisan divide with common sense policy priorities.

Plaintiffs, ten U.S. citizens and one lawful permanent resident, brought suit against the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Kirstjen Nielsen, Acting Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Kevin McAleenan, and Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Thomas Homan, alleging that certain CBP and ICE policies and practices violated their Fourth Amendment rights.

Leading House Democrats on the Homeland Security, Appropriations, and Transportation Committees re-introduced the Rights for the Transportation Security Administration Workforce Act of 2021 in Congress. The bill, passed twice by the House in the 116th Congress, would expand workforce protections for employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

On February 4, 2021, President Joe Biden released a national security memo that focused on revitalizing American foreign policy and restoring the national security workforce, institutions, and partnerships. He also recently appeared at the Department of State to send a message on foreign policy to the workforce, saying, “I want the people who work in this building, and our embassies and consulates around the world, to know I value your expertise, and I respect you. And I will have your back.”

Last week, a hacker was able to breach the computer system of the water treatment facility in Oldsmar, Florida. The attack was detected before it affected the population. Initial reports indicate the hacker or hackers attempted to add dangerous levels of sodium hydroxide to the water supply using the plant’s remote access software. Cyber experts have warned that the attack highlights cyber infrastructure vulnerabilities.

According to a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release, Indian drug manufacturer Fresenius Kabi Oncology Limited (FKOL) has agreed to plead guilty to concealing and destroying records prior to a 2013 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection. FKOL has agreed to pay $50 million in fines and forfeiture.

Take a trip down memory lane with DEA agent Ray Donovan, who reflects on capturing ‘El Chapo’ in this video from two years ago.

For 14 years, Federal Employee Defense Services has provided professional liability insurance (PLI) for federal law enforcement officers and has been a proud advocate for the federal law enforcement community. Now, FEDS is expanding its ability to offer even more support to federal law enforcement officers through its acquisition by CRC Group, a leading national wholesale distributor of specialty insurance products. This timely partnership will enable FEDS to expand coverage options for public employees and contractors.

If you are unfamiliar with our organization, the Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund (FEEA) was established in 1986. We serve federal employees and their families as a national 501c3 charity modelled after military relief organizations.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announced on February 2, 2021 that the Integrated Justice Information Systems (IJIS) Institute will take charge of a new project to develop interoperability standards between the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems used by the nation’s public safety agencies.