OUR PICKSNJ Flood Rules | Cyber-Informed Engineering | Threats to Law Enforcement, and more

Bold New Jersey Shore Flood Rules Could Be Blueprint for Entire U.S. Coast  (Thomas Frank, Scientific American)
Coastal flood zones where development is restricted will be based on future climate change projections, not past floods.

DHS Proposal Could Pave the Way for Permanent I-9 Remote Virtual Inspection  (Alonzo Martinez, Forbes)
A new rule proposed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would permit the Secretary of Homeland Security to authorize alternative procedures for inspecting identity and work authorization documents required by Form I-9 for some or all employers. If adopted, employers will be provided with other temporary or permanent options to complete Form I-9 in addition to the in-person document inspection requirements. As a result, employers may be able to continue utilizing the remote virtual inspection process implemented by DHS towards the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

FBI, DHS Joint Bulletin Reveals Suge in Threats Against Federal Employees  (FedManager)
In a joint advisory bulletin, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have alerted federal employees and law enforcement about the recent surge in threats against government officials. The threats stem from two events in recent weeks: (1) the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (H.R.5376), which authorizes $80 billion for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to rebuild its workforce and modernize its information technology (IT) system; and (2) the execution of a search warrant at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.

House Oversight Dems Seeking Data from Social Media Companies About Threats to Law Enforcement  (Edward Graham, Nextgov)
Lawmakers are demanding information from online platforms about how they are responding to growing threats against law enforcement officials following the FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago.

How Energy’s Cyber-Informed Engineering Strategy Fits into a Pending National Plan  (Mariam Baksh, Nextgov)
A key White House official highlighted the importance of education and workforce training in the government’s procurement-centric cybersecurity policy.

IRS Reviewing Security Measures After Threats  (Sareen Habeshian, Axios)
The Internal Revenue Service is launching a comprehensive review of its safety and security measures, the agency said Tuesday. The review comes after an “abundance of misinformation and false social media postings,” with threats directed at the IRS and its employees, Commissioner Charles Rettig wrote in a memo to employees.

Senators Sound Alarm on Terror-Related Exemptions to US Entry for Afghans, Warn of ‘Open-Ended’ Authority  (Fox News)
A coalition of senators is seeking clarification from the Biden administration about what they fear is an “open-ended” authority to allow foreign nationals, who have provided “insignificant material support” to certain terrorist organizations, to enter the United States. Ten senators, led by Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., have written to the Departments of Homeland Security and State about the administration’s moves in June to allow Afghan evacuees who have worked as civil servants during Taliban rule, or individuals who have provided “individuals who provided insignificant or certain limited material support to a designated terrorist organization,” to be exempted from terror-related U.S. entry restrictions. “We write because the American people deserve an explanation regarding the broad, open-ended nature of this authority for exempting individuals who would otherwise be barred from immigration to the United States for supporting a terrorist organization,” they write. The U.S. has brought in tens of thousands of evacuees from Afghanistan in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal and Taliban takeover last year. As part of that, the administration moved in June to exempt certain Afghans who may be caught up in terrorism-related inadmissibility grounds (TRIG).