Latest news with #SenateBill376
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bill to ban TikTok on state devices passes Pennsylvania Senate
PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — A bill that would ban the use of the app TikTok on state devices and networks seems to have most Pennsylvania senators in agreement. The bill, sponsored by Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill, notes that the app on state devices presents 'an unacceptable level of cybersecurity risk.' Under Senate Bill 376, all agencies, departments or commissions that are state government entities must do the following: Remove the application from state networks Implement measures to prevent the installation of the app Implement network-based restrictions to prevent workers from using and accessing the app Pennsylvania Representative aims to repeal 'Johnstown Flood Tax' 'The people of Pennsylvania's personal safety and our national security are threatened by cyber vulnerabilities of systems that support our daily lives. It is imperative that Pennsylvania takes bold and decisive actions to prepare for and address cybersecurity threats,' Phillips-Hill noted in her memo about the bill to other lawmakers. Over half of the other states have already banned the app on government devices, along with several other countries. The bill passed the Pennsylvania Senate with 49 votes yes on Wednesday, June 4. This comes after it passed both the Communications and Technology and the Appropriations Committee. It will now head to the House for consideration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill to ban TikTok from state-owned devices in Pennsylvania advances
(WHTM) — Multiple cybersecurity bills, including one banning popular social media platform TikTok from state-owned devices in Pennsylvania, have advanced out of the Senate Communications and Technology Committee. Senate Bill 376, sponsored by state Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York), would ban TikTok on all state-owned devices and networks. According to the memo, this comes as a response to growing national security concerns. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now The bill would require Pennsylvania to follow federal guidelines regarding the use of TikTok on Government devices and networks. Many politicians across the United States consider TikTok a national security risk because the platform is owned by the Chinese internet technology company ByteDance. Senator Phillips-Hill's second proposed bill, Senate Bill 377, would require all state IT contracts to meet the cybersecurity standards set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. According to the memo, this would reduce the risk of data breaches across state systems. 'Back in March, I made it clear that cybersecurity would be a top priority this session, and today, we're taking meaningful steps forward,' Sen. Phillips-Hill said. 'These measures reflect best practices that other states and the federal government are already implementing to protect against bad actors. If we want to stay ahead of cyber threats, we need to take proactive, proven steps to secure our data and defend our systems.' The bills are part of a larger legislative package introduced by Sen. Phillips-Hill that intends to better safeguard Pennsylvania's information technology. The bill will now go to the Senate for consideration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
TikTok ban on Pa. state government devices passes Senate
HARRISBURG, Pa (WHTM) — A bill banning TikTok on state-owned devices in Pennsylvania unanimously passed the Senate Wednesday. Senate Bill 376, sponsored by state Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York), passed with unanimous support. It would bring the Commonwealth in line with more than 39 states that passed similar restrictions in the wake of security concerns over the app's parent company, ByteDance, and its relationship with the Chinese government. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'If we want to protect Pennsylvanians from cyber attacks, we must take proactive and proven steps to defend our systems against known vulnerabilities and threats,' said Sen. Phillips-Hill. 'These bills reflect commonsense safeguards that are already being used by other states and the federal government.' The bill would require state employees to follow federal guidelines on the use of TikTok on government networks and devices. Two years ago, State Treasurer Stacy Garrity banned TikTok on Pennsylvania Treasury devices. What is TikTok shop, and where does all the stuff come from? The Senate also unanimously passed Senate Bill 377, which would require all state IT contracts to meet cybersecurity standards established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Both bills are a part of a larger package from Sen. Phillips-Hill and now advance to the House for consideration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TikTok ban for Pa. state government devices advances
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways In this 2020 photo illustration, the TikTok app is displayed on an Apple iPhone. (Photo Illustration by) A Pennsylvania Senate Committee unanimously approved a pair of bills during a meeting on Tuesday, including a proposal that would ban TikTok from being downloaded on state-owned networks and devices. State Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill, the sponsor of Senate Bill 376, said that 34 states have already announced or enacted bans on state government agencies and employees using TikTok on state owned devices. Elected officials in Pennsylvania and beyond have expressed concern about the application's parent company, ByteDance, and its relationship with the Chinese government. 'As we hear more about cybersecurity attacks, it is imperative that Pennsylvania takes bold and decisive actions to prepare for and address those threats,' Phillips-Hill said. 'The people of Pennsylvania's personal safety and our national security are threatened by cyber vulnerabilities of systems that support our daily lives.' The proposal would also require agencies, departments, commissions, and all government entities to remove the app from devices in an effort to ensure the state is safe from cyber security threats caused by foreign governments. Last session, it was introduced as Senate Bill 379, and unanimously passed the state Senate in March 2023, although it was not approved on final passage by the state House. Some Pennsylvania elected officials, including state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, have already banned TikTok from being used on Treasury-issued devices. The committee also unanimously approved Senate Bill 377, authored by Phillips-Hill, which would require that any state government purchase of computer hardware meet the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, standards for computer security in an effort to protect the state's information technology. 'NIST guidelines consist of standards and best practices to manage cybersecurity related risk,' Phillips-Hill said. 'This is a flexible and cost effective approach that helps to promote the protection and resilience of our IT.' The standards proposed in this legislation have already been adopted by the U.S. government in all of their IT procurements.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Health officials cut inspection backlog of nursing homes, advocates demand more
Advocates worry that some nursing homes have not been inspected in years, leaving seniors potentially exposed to unsafe living conditions. Health officials say the state is making progress on reducing a significant backlog of nursing home inspections, with more than half of facilities having received an inspection within the last 16 months. But with some facilities being more than four years behind schedule for an inspection, advocates and lawmakers fear that some of Maryland's seniors may be languishing in unsafe living conditions while the state works through its backlog. 'How do we hold owners of nursing homes accountable for the care in the places where these folks are staying?' asked Bruce Hartung, president of the Maryland Continuing Care Residents' Association. 'Without inspections, we simply have no idea how these folks are living — and in what conditions they are living.' At issue is a years-old backlog of state inspections of the state's 220 nursing homes as required by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The backlog has spanned administrations and was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. But Maryland ranks second to last in the nation when it comes to timely inspections of nursing homes, with average inspection lag of 2.44 years compared to the national average of 0.97 years, according to StarPro, which tracks data on nursing homes across the United States. Maryland falls behind only Alabama, which has an average lag of 3 years. The state Department of Health has been struggling to catch up on those inspections since, with some facilities not receiving an annual inspection for four years or more, according to CMS data, though state officials note that the federal data may lag by a couple months. Meanwhile, lawmakers and senior advocates worry that seniors could be facing unsafe living conditions without oversight or knowledge of state officials, and they passed legislation this session in hopes of keeping better tabs on the issue. 'These are the most vulnerable people in our population,' said Sen. Benjamin Kramer (D-Montgomery). 'And nobody is putting eyes on the nursing home to ensure that these seniors are being properly cared for.' Lawmakers passed Senate Bill 376, sponsored by Kramer, to boost the reporting requirements on the health department, so it will provide more frequent updates as it works through the inspection backlog. Under SB376, which is currently on the governor's desk, the department will need to start providing quarterly reports updating lawmakers on the progress of nursing home inspections throughout the state. The bill also prompts the Office of Health Care Quality to report to local jurisdictions every six months on the progress of inspections in their individual counties. The nursing home inspection backlog was a hot topic throughout session. Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman, deputy secretary for the health department on public health, told lawmakers that the agency is making progress on the backlog, though he admitted there is still work to be done. He said during a January briefing on the issue for the Senate Finance Committee that the estimated time to 'catch up' on inspections will take about two more years, as the department has needed to train staff to conduct the inspections. Each inspection can take about a week to conduct. In written testimony on SB376, the health department reported that as of March 31, there were 130 nursing homes out of a total 220, or 59%, that had an annual inspection conducted in the previous 16 months, the maximum time allowed by federal guidelines. That's an improvement from June, when the rate of annual inspections conducted within 16 months was just 21.2%, according to the department's testimony. Hank Greenberg, AARP Maryland state director, said that uninspected nursing homes can result in lower quality of care for seniors, who may not have a strong support system to help advocate for themselves against mistreatment or even abuse. 'This can result in preventable injuries, a decline in overall resident well-being, and really contributes to the fact that their could be abuse and neglect that don't rise as quickly as they should,' he said. 'And keeps people from being able to know that things will be addressed.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE A group of nursing home residents are already suing the Department of Health for neglect they allegedly experienced in living facilities, citing the backlog of nursing home inspections as a contributing factor to their experience. The plaintiffs have mobility-related disabilities and rely on nursing staff for moving around the facility, eating, and personal hygiene. The lawsuit alleges that residents were often left unattended for extended periods, leaving them isolated from community events or sometimes left in soiled clothing for hours, among other concerns outlined in the lawsuit. The nursing homes cited in the lawsuit had not had an inspection in years, some as far back as 2020, according to the suit filed last year. SB376 was amended throughout session, and Greenberg and Hartung would have preferred the original version of the bill, which would have allowed counties to sign a memorandum of understanding with the health department to take over on inspections for nursing homes, freeing up state resources to work on the remaining backlog. The initial version of the bill was based on a previous agreement between Montgomery County and the state that expired in 2021, which allowed the county to keep up with timely inspections. The original language in SB376 would have allowed other counties to request the chance to do the same. The department opposed that version of the bill, saying it would actually cost the state more money to let counties conduct inspections and would create other complications. Supporters of the legislation disagreed, but the bill went through a series of amendments before it was struck out during conference committee and rewritten to the new reporting requirements. 'When you can't get the inspections done, what are your alternatives?' Hartung said. 'It [reporting requirements] is a step forward … But we know that they're not getting done, so the question is what kind of teeth will there be in that reporting?' But both Hartung and Greenberg still believe that the new reporting requirements will help keep tabs on the department as it works through the backlog of nursing home inspections. 'We obviously need that reporting,' Greenberg said. 'I'm sure that some of those reports will be responses to complaints that have been alleged … There's a lack of accountability without these reports that could lead to increased risks of neglect and abuse and most importantly, substandard care.'
