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The warning comes amid a number of recent cyberattacks against companies that have exposed the private sector's vulnerability to hacks.

Should Michèle Flournoy Be Secretary of Defense? November 20, 2020 (Illustration: Renzo Velez / POGO) President-elect Joe Biden faces monumental challenges, left to him by an exceptionally dysfunctional administration now heading for the exits—despite temper tantrums en route. Among those challenges, one hardly mentioned during the campaign is stemming the runaway appetite in the Pentagon, the defense industry, and Congress for never-ending increases in the military budget. The president-elect’s apparent pick for secretary of defense, Michèle Flournoy, would not squelch that appetite....

The REDEEMER Act will take effect in July 2021. “Beginning in July, when the law takes effect, people who qualify for the break will be able to petition the court for the expungement. Judges will make the determination based on factors like the nature of the offense and how long ago it occurred,” WALA Fox10 News reported. “The expungement option is not open to everyone. Violent felons and people convicted of sex offenses will not be able to apply. But people with misdemeanors and certain nonviolent felonies can get the records sealed. It is also open to people who have committed some ...

On April 5, 2021, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear signed into law House Bill 497 (HB 497) that will create a certificate program to give employers protection from legal barriers and civil liabilities for hiring qualified ex-offenders who have prior criminal records and are trained for a job. The new law will take effect in July 2021. HB 497 – which was unanimously passed by the Kentucky Legislature in March 2021 – requires the Department of Corrections (DOC) to issue ex-offenders documentation of their criminal history, institutional history, and a “certificate of employability.” The l...

In January 2021, the Illinois legislature passed Senate Bill 1480 (SB 1480) to amend the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA) that would impact employers under the state’s “Ban the Box” law that prevents employers from asking job applicants about criminal histories on applications. The bill was sent to Governor J.B. Pritzker to sign into law. SB 1480 would make using conviction records in employment-related decisions a civil rights violation unless there is a “substantial relationship” between the criminal offense and the position or involve an “unreasonable risk” to property or t...