Three Latta-supported bipartisan proposals receive House committee approval

The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee during a July 17 markup session approved 26 bills containing three bipartisan measures supported by U.S. Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) to bolster security for the nation’s grid, cyberspace and Americans’ phones.

The committee passed the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act, H.R. 3375, introduced by Rep. Latta and U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to clarify the prohibitions on making robocalls.

Rep. Latta said that the bill would “allow consumers to know which calls are being blocked – similar to the spam filter in email – and create a pathway to stop wanted calls from being blocked.”

H.R. 3375 also would ensure that lawmakers “are preserving consumers’ access to desirable, and at times, life-saving calls and text messages while also protecting them from bad actors who fraudulently spoof caller ID information to make illegal robocalls.”

“Americans deserve peace of mind knowing that the phones that connect us to the world are being used for good, not scams,” Rep. Latta said on Wednesday.

The committee also approved the Enhancing Grid Security through Public-Private Partnerships Act, H.R. 359, which Rep. Latta introduced with U.S. Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA) to direct the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to facilitate and encourage public-private partnerships in order to address and mitigate the physical security and cybersecurity risks of electric utilities.

And the Energy and Commerce Committee advanced the Cyber Sense Act of 2019, H.R. 360, sponsored by Rep. Latta and cosponsored by Rep. McNerney to require the DOE to establish a voluntary Cyber Sense program to test the cybersecurity of products and technologies intended for use in the bulk-power system.

Together, H.R. 359 and H.R. 360 “will foster a collaborative relationship between DOE and the utilities to ensure our grid becomes increasingly resilient in the face of cyberattacks,” said Rep. Latta. “Grid security is national security, and it’s important that we act.”