Downtown Detroit Partnership's Eric B. Larson Added to Detroit Policy Conference Agenda

Eric B. Larson, chief executive officer of the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP), has been added to the agenda for the 2022 Detroit Policy Conference.

Legislation Builds on Peters’ MEGABYTE Act That Has Saved Taxpayers More than $450 Million

WASHINGTON, DC – Bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) to save taxpayer dollars by improving management of how the federal government purchases and uses software has advanced in the Senate. The bill would require agencies to conduct an independent, comprehensive assessment of their software licensing practices. This would be used by Congress, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the General Services Administration (GSA) to increase federal oversight of software contracts in order to streamline operations and reduce wasteful spending. The bill was advanced by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee where Peters serves as Chair, and now moves to the full Senate for consideration. The legislation builds on a law written by Peters to reduce duplicative software purchases called the MEGABYTE Act. Since being signed into law, this legislation has saved taxpayers more than $450 million. The bill now heads to the Senate floor for consideration.

Bill Would Help Prevent Exploitation of Vulnerabilities Like One Found In Log4j That Could Compromise Critical Systems  

WASHINGTON, DC – Bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) to help protect federal and critical infrastructure systems by strengthening the security of open source software has advanced in the Senate. The legislation comes after a hearing convened by Peters on the Log4j incident earlier this year and would direct the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to help ensure that open source software is used safely and securely by the federal government, critical infrastructure, and others. A vulnerability discovered in Log4j – which is widely used open source code – affected millions of computers worldwide, including critical infrastructure and federal systems.

Legislation Builds on Peters’ MEGABYTE Act That Has Saved Taxpayers More than $450 Million

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation to save taxpayer dollars by improving management of how the federal government purchases and uses software. The bill would require agencies to conduct an independent, comprehensive assessment of their software licensing practices. This would be used by Congress, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the General Services Administration (GSA) to increase federal oversight of software contracts in order to streamline operations and reduce wasteful spending. The legislation builds on a law written by Peters to reduce duplicative software purchases called the MEGABYTE Act. Since being signed into law, this legislation has saved taxpayers more than $450 million.

LANSING, Mich. -- Not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates declined in 16 Michigan labor market areas over the month, according to data released today by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget.

“Michigan regions demonstrated typical seasonal jobless rate reductions in August,” said Wayne Rourke, associate director of the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives. “Employment levels continued to display positive growth trends over the year.”

Bill Would Fund Mitigation and Research on Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) Which Continue to Threaten Cherry, Blueberry, and Other Fruit Crops

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) announced bipartisan legislation to strengthen efforts to reduce the spread of – and advance research on – spotted wing drosophila (SWD), an invasive insect hurting fruit growers and their crops in Michigan and across the country. 

This invasive pest from East Asia lays eggs in soft-skinned fruit crops, including cherries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries. Since their first detection in the continental United States in 2008, they have spread across the West Coast, as well as through Florida, Utah, the Carolinas, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The spotted wing drosophila have caused more than an estimated $700 million in economic loss per year nationally – in part because fruit buyers have a zero-tolerance policy if the invasive insect is spotted on crops, meaning entire crop loads can be rejected if a single larva is detected.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation to authorize Federal Executive Boards (FEBs), which help improve collaboration among federal agency offices located outside of Washington, D.C. FEBs help coordinate federal emergency response activities at the local level, and build partnerships between agencies and state and local entities to ensure federal programs are administered effectively. Currently, there are 28 FEB locations across the nation, including one in Detroit, MI. FEBs are also instrumental in strengthening the federal government’s workforce by leveraging their local partnerships. The bill would enable FEBs to further support agency efforts to recruit and place students, veterans, and others into skills training opportunities like apprenticeships and paid internships at agency field offices.