Three individuals, including officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), have been indicted and arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit bribery of public officials; acts affecting a personal financial interest; false statements; disaster fraud; honest services wire fraud, Travel Act violations, and wire fraud. The arrests came as a result of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigation.

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.

An ICE Supervisory Special Agent delivered a document to a colleague at the direction of his supervisor, the Assistant Special Agent in Charge. The colleague (a Special Agent) later used the document in support of his own whistleblower case against the Agency. After the Agency learned of the Supervisory Special Agent’s involvement in his colleague’s appeal, he was not selected for promotion, and received a lower-than-normal performance appraisal. He then filed a complaint with the Office of Special Counsel, alleging that the agency retaliated against him for providing information to his colleague that was later used in his colleague’s appeal.

Upon arrival at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, Milon Miah was arrested for conspiring to smuggle individuals into the United States. Miah allegedly conspired to bring and brought 15 Bangladeshi nationals to the U.S. in exchange for payment.

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.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (“Memorial Fund”) has announced the appointment of Marcia C. Ferranto to the position of Chief Executive Officer.

Tune in to FEDtalk this week for a discussion on the importance of cybersecurity within the federal government. As the federal government becomes increasingly digital, it also becomes increasingly at risk for cyberattacks. Experts in the cybersecurity community will discuss what these threats look like and how the federal workforce can prepare for them.

Life insurance exists to help protect your loved ones in case you pass. These policies are usually created as part of an overall estate plan. Two of the most common types of life insurance available are Term and Whole. Each has their own benefits.

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.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section (HCF Unit) executed 36 search warrants, including 15 pharmacies and six “pill mill” clinics, as well as other offices and residences, aimed at disrupting networks of opioid distribution. The DEA also served immediate suspension orders on seven pharmacies and two providers involved in dispensing controlled substances without legitimate medical purpose. In total, 41 individuals have been charged in nine indictments.

As summer time-off requests come to an end, it’s time to start thinking about your religious observances and any time off you may need in the coming months.

Law enforcement agencies use man’s best friend to assist in a variety of tasks; to not only make their jobs easier, but to make them safer. Many of those tasks require a honed set of skills taught by professional dog trainers, which take months to master.

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.

It’s one of the first things we hear as a group of students makes its way down the stairs to the admissions desk: “Is that a helicopter?!” Yup. “Is it real?” Sure is. The story of how Eagle One came to rest here, hanging above the exhibit space in the National Law Enforcement Museum, is a good one to tell.

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.

American Airlines has agreed to settle a False Claims Act allegation stating that the airline falsely reported the times it delivered certain packages. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Postal Service investigated the matter alongside the Postal Service Office of General Counsel. American Airlines paid $22 million to settle the matter.