ABA News Experts to discuss congressional oversight, cross- border issues at ABA Homeland Security Law Institute

U.S. Department of Homeland Security General Counsel John Mitnick is the keynote speaker at the 13th Annual Homeland Security Law Institute on May 31 in Arlington, Va. At the conference, key decision-makers from the government and industry sectors will discuss transportation security; cybersecurity; cross-border initiatives; and federal, state and local emergency response efforts. Program highlights include: -"DHS Current Legal Issues: A Panel Discussion with Senior Attorneys from DHS, CISA, ICE, TSA, USCIS" - This panel will present an overview of the significant legal matters facing DHS and its components, including its implementation of mandates set forth in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act of 2018, and FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. - "Homeland Security Legislative & Regulatory Outlook 2018-2019" - This panel will focus on recent, current and upcoming legislative and regulatory activity in the homeland security sphere. Topics include congressional activity on border security and immigration, DHS reauthorization and congressional oversight. On the regulatory side, panelists will explore what's in the offing, including H-1B reform, EB-5 reform, disaster assistance, information security and other topics. - "State & Local Responders Working with FEMA" - Panelists will discuss the regulatory implications of the two greatest disaster years since the creation of FEMA and perhaps since the Civil War. The years 2017 and 2018 were extraordinary in their breadth of devastation, including but not limited to Hurricanes Irma and Michael in Florida, Harvey in Texas, Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the 2017 and 2018 wildfires in California. The panel will also discuss the enactment of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act and share their observations on the impact of the shutdown of the portions of FEMA not funded by the Disaster Relief fund. - "Maintaining Secure Skies: What's Next for Drone Integration?" - Drones have proven to be a valuable resource in responding to natural disasters, inspecting critical infrastructure and supporting agricultural operations, etc. Further integration efforts have been delayed, however, due to growing security concerns, as evidenced by recent events near London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports. This panel will explore the current security challenges and next steps required from both a regulatory and technology development perspective. Published: Thu, May 23, 2019