Electric Vehicles, Drug Trafficking and Cybersecurity • Iowa Capital Dispatch

New electric vehicle standards, veterans' access to local health care and cybersecurity concerns were all the topics of letters sent to various government agencies by Iowa lawmakers this week.

A new bill would require social media platforms to report drug trafficking cases to authorities.

Find out what the Iowa congressional delegation is up to below:

New bill targets drug trafficking on social media

Iowa Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Minnesota Democratic Rep. Angie Craig have introduced a bill aimed at preventing drug sales on social media platforms.

The “Cooper Davis and Devin Norring” law, named after two teenagers who died after buying drugs on Snapchat, requires social networks to alert authorities when drug deals occur on their platforms.

“Fentanyl is a scourge in our communities, killing countless Americans and destroying their families,” Miller-Meeks said in a press release. “By requiring social media companies and other communications service providers to alert law enforcement of fentanyl distribution on their platforms, we could hopefully save many more lives.”

The Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act would help law enforcement at all levels combat the sale of fentanyl and fentanyl-laced pills and prosecute those who prey on America's youth.

— Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, MD (@RepMMM) July 3, 2024

According to a study, about 1 in 3 cases of drug trafficking are linked to social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. data of the Drug Enforcement Agency.

“Since Cooper and Devin lost their lives to drug dealers operating on social media, we have heard the same canned response from social media outlets, who say they are aware of the problem and are working to correct it. However, they have done nothing to stop these dealers from targeting our children,” Bridgette Norring, Devin Norring’s mother, said in the press release.

Grassley calls for stronger cybersecurity defenses

Sen. Chuck Grassley launched an oversight investigation into the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) after the agency revealed it suffered a multi-day hack in January.

According to CISA, the hackers potentially gained “unauthorized access” to internal investigations, security plans and assessments that could have exposed sensitive information about U.S. infrastructure.

In a letter to CISA Director Jen Easterly, Grassley requested access to documents showing the agency's response to the hack, what information the hackers had access to, how the agency assessed the damage and contacted affected parties.

“I have overseen departments with known cyber vulnerabilities in their critical infrastructure, but now we learn that CISA – the agency whose sole responsibility is to protect America’s cybersecurity – doesn’t even have its own house in order,” the letter said. “CISA’s failure to protect its systems puts Americans at risk.”

Grassley had previously called for stronger U.S. cybersecurity in another letter he sent to multiple agencies in April.

Read the full letter here.

Grassley: Improving Veterans' Access to Health Care

Grassley and Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran sent a letter to Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough asking him to change policies that are hurting veterans' access to health care.

Recent changes to the VA have limited community health care options for veterans, senators say, undermining progress made under the Trump administration.

“It is your responsibility to reprioritize resources from non-patient care areas and reduce waste, fraud and abuse, not to unilaterally implement so-called cost-saving measures that, even as an unintended consequence, reduce choices for veterans and endanger their lives,” the letter said.

The Veterans Community Care Program should work for everyone, not just some. In a letter that Senator Moran and I sent to the VA Scty, you can read some examples of veterans who are facing challenges getting the medical attention they need through the program. The VA should prioritize veterans’ access to timely care.

— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) July 2, 2024

Last May, Grassley and others launched an oversight investigation into the Veterans Community Care program following the findings of an internal report. The senators alleged that the VA was limiting veterans’ access to local health care options in favor of connecting veterans to the VA’s direct care system.

Grassley and Moran's letter was co-signed by 18 other Republican senators, including Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst.

The full letter can be read here.

Republicans criticize EPA's new rules on electric vehicles

Iowa Rep. Randy Feenstra and Indiana Sen. Mike Crapo wrote a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urging the administration to reverse a decision requiring new emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles.

Along with Feenstra and Crapo, more than 150 other lawmakers co-signed the letter, including Iowa's entire congressional delegation.

The decision aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by requiring 25% of sleeper cab tractors, which include semi-trailers, buses and tractors, to be zero direct emission vehicles by 2032.

Some lawmakers and automakers are criticizing the move because of the financial costs of the change and its impact on farm workers.

“The Biden administration’s mandate, which affects all trucks, tractors, buses and semis, would strain our supply chains, hurt our farmers, harm our economy and increase costs for every American,” Feenstra said in a press release.

The Biden administration's mandates for electric vehicles on trucks, tractors, buses, and semis would strain our supply chains, hurt our farmers, and increase costs for our families.

I am pleased that more than 150 of our colleagues have joined us in this mission to overturn this mandate.

— Representative Randy Feenstra (@RepFeenstra) July 3, 2024

Feenstra and others have called the rule a “de facto electric mandate,” although it does not ban the driving or production of new gasoline-powered vehicles.

“This unaffordable and unworkable regulation will leave rural communities with grid capacity issues and limited range compared to comparable diesel vehicles. When regulations are rushed and the impacts on the economy are not adequately considered, business closures and job losses will result,” the minister said. letter bed.

Zero direct emissions do not take into account emissions associated with the production, distribution or disposal of the vehicle.

Read the full letter here.