The Senate and House return this week with just three weeks to pass a funding measure to avoid a government shutdown. To remove some pressure on this time limit, lawmakers in both chambers have endorsed a continuing resolution (CR) to delay the end of the fiscal year. The House has pledged to vote on a proposal while the Senate Majority Leader has offered support.

During an event at the Brookings Institution, the Director of the Department of the Interior’s Office of Aviation Services (OAS) recommended changes to national airspace regulations to allow federal, state, and local governments to better utilize drone technology. Director Mark Bathrick spoke of the new opportunities drones present and the department’s increased use of the technology.

A bipartisan bill which will be introduced in the House this week seeks to codify the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Continuous Diagnostics Mitigation (CDM) program into law and expand the program to additional agencies on the federal, state, and local level. The legislation matches legislation introduced in the Senate in July.

In a letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate, President Trump has endorsed a pay increase for all federal employees with no locality pay increase. This plan goes against the president’s previously proposed pay freezes for federal employees. Congress must now pass funding measures to determine the exact pay increase federal employees will receive.

Ransomware attacks in Texas and Louisiana have the National Guard considering an expansion of an existing pilot program designed to assist states in preparing for and handling cybercrime. The National Guard has already committed to working with the states to understand how the incidents occurred and how they could have been prevented.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has launched a 30-day proof of concept at the McCarren International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, Nevada for automating the identity verification portion of airport screenings using biometric technology. The technology uses live facial recognition to compare a traveler’s current image with their identification.

Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) has released a discussion draft of legislation to make domestic terrorism a unique federal crime. Under current law, domestic terrorism is not a distinct federal crime with specific punishments. It is simply defined as an aggregating factor. The legislation would criminalize the act and give federal law enforcement greater authority in pursuing suspects.

Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY) introduced legislation last month to decriminalize and deschedule cannabis. Since the legislation’s introduction, more than 100 organizations have come out in favor of the move. In a recent op-ed for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), Rep. Nadler called reform of marijuana laws a “moral responsibility” and urged the Judiciary Committee, which he chairs, to move on the measure.

The White House announced Wednesday a new regulation for handling migrants at the southern border. The new regulation would terminate the Flores settlement, which has been widely accepted as the precedent for handling children at the border and prevents children from being held for more than twenty days.

Last week, 53 college students completed a 10-week fellowship with the federal government called Coding it Forward, where they worked within agencies to improve data and technology projects. During their final presentations, several students discussed the importance of attracting young people to public service and opportunities for the government to improve their recruitment strategy.

Representative Lacy Clay (D-MO) has teamed up with Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) to introduce legislation that would create a single federal standard for use of force. Clay and Khanna held a press conference Friday to introduce the measure aimed at combating misuse of force by law enforcement.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced a commitment to improving some of the principle workforce problems identified in a May Blue Ribbon Panel on the agency’s human capital policy. TSA leaders have announced a focus on pay and development to improve workforce morale and retention.

As the next step in Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s plan to cultivate a new “professional ethos” within the Department of State, Pompeo has announced several new pilots to encourage continued workforce training. The new “One Team” training program will formally launch later this month.

Following overwhelming support in the Senate and House, the Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act has been signed into law. On Monday, a crowd of first responders and their families watched as President Trump gave remarks commending Congress for coming together around this issue.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers came together Tuesday to honor whistleblowers. At a ceremony hosted by the National Whistleblower Center (NWC) to commemorate the 241st anniversary of America’s first whistleblower protection, lawmakers discussed the rich history of whistleblower protection and its importance in a modern context.

Anonymous survey app Blind asked members of the technology community their views about creating artificial intelligence (AI) programs for law enforcement, including possible ethical implications. While respondents were willing to create the technology, some expressed concerns about the ethics of its use.

In December, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) introduced Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) aimed at reducing the number of asylum seekers living in the U.S. awaiting immigration court proceedings. These directives have come under fire by civil liberties groups claiming a lack of due process protections. Now, DHS Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen is working to clarify the MPP rules to avoid further legal scrutiny.

After serving in the position for a mere nine months, John “Jay” Gibson has announced that he will step aside as the Department of Defense’s chief management officer, the third-highest ranking official within the Pentagon, according to Federal News Network’s Jared Serbu.