Friday on the Hill

Friday, May 7– by Riyadh Al-Balushi (Oman)

Friday on Capitol Hill was a relatively slow day, Congressman usually travel back to their respective areas to deal directly with their constituents and to work on campaign issues. This means that there are no hearings, markups, or voting sessions on Friday.
Even though the Congressmen are not on the Hill, the other staff still remain in the office to deal with pending issues, respond to letters, and hold a few meetings. Briefings for congressional staff may also be held on Friday.

I attended a briefing on the financial aspects of cyber risks. The session aimed to introduce congressional staff to a report made by the Internet Security Alliance and the American National Standards Institute explanation how to implement a financial management system of cyber risks. There was a role-play session, speeches, and a Q&A session as well. I thought it was very interesting as I am a member of the Information Security Committee of our ministry and the issues raised by this report are similar to those we face back home.

In the afternoon we went with Matt to visit the Department of Labor where we met with staffers from the Office of the Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Tracking at the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, and an official from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It was a very informative session in which we learnt about the role played by the bureau in helping foreign countries reduce child labor. We also learnt from Ed Stern about intelligent systems and their use in regard to occupational safety.

Week 1 on Capitol Hill was eventful, hope the upcoming weeks are just as good!