Computer Refurbishing and Cybersecurity on House Agenda

The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives announced bills that will be considered under suspension of the rules in that chamber. Under suspension, floor debate is limited, all floor amendments are prohibited, points of order against the bill are waived, and final passage requires a two-thirds majority vote. The bills include:

HR 3544, Computers for Veterans and Students Act: Sponsored by Rep Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), HR 3544 would require the General Services Administration (GSA) to quarterly transfer surplus computers and related technology to nonprofit refurbishers for eventual distribution to (1) schools, veterans, seniors, and other specified populations in need; and (2) state and local agencies for donation to nonprofit and public entities.

HR 7535, Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act: HR 7535, proposed by Rep Ro Khanna (D-CA), would 1) require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in consultation with the Chief Information Officers Council to prioritize the migration to post-quantum cryptography and do an assessment of critical systems one year after the NIST standards are issued, 2) instruct the director of OMB to send a report to Congress that includes a strategy on how to address this risk, the funding that might be necessary, and an analysis on the current efforts one year after the bill becomes law, and 3) direct OMB to provide a yearly report to Congress on the progress of the Federal Government in transitioning to post-quantum cryptography standards one year after the NIST standards are issued.