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U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) introduced bipartisan legislation to modernize federal agencies and ensure they have the proper data protections and governance in place to adopt and deploy artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies. This legislation would extend the Chief Data Officers (CDO) Council and require the Council to examine the federal government’s data management practices to improve data quality, access, and transparency - and ultimately to enable better services and potential cost savings.

"I worked with former Speaker Paul Ryan to establish the Chief Data Officers (CDO) Council, via the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018, to better coordinate data sharing and best practices across the federal government,” said Senator Young. “Our bill builds on the Council’s existing efforts and makes AI readiness part of the Council’s purpose, while requiring the CDO Council and the OMB Director to report detailed recommendations on data policy changes. This bill will help the federal government operate more effectively and provide taxpayers with better service.”

“As the use of artificial intelligence continues to grow, federal agencies must have strong data practices and protections in place to better provide efficient and effective services to the American people,” said Senator Peters. “Extending the Chief Data Officers Council will ensure that the federal government is able to pursue best practices to manage and protect data, especially as agencies increasingly adopt AI and other technologies to improve government operations.”

Since it was established in 2018, the CDO Council has successfully released toolkits, reports, and pilot programs aimed at improving data sharing practices. It is currently set to expire in 2025. The bipartisan Modernizing Data Practices to Improve Government Act would extend the CDO Council for 7 years to help address new data management challenges raised by the adoption of technologies like AI. The bill would also require OMB to provide a report recommending ways to clarify and enhance the roles of Chief Data Officers across government, including identifying the resources and skills needed to support data governance and AI adoption at federal agencies. The legislation would also require the CDO Council to report to OMB and Congress on key data governance issues for agencies, including recommendations for best practices to ensure agency data is reliable, transparent, and high quality, as well as an assessment of data challenges preventing AI adoption across agencies. The CDO Council would also be required to provide recommendations for data ownership and retention policies to include in contracts for procuring AI, and guidance about how agencies should define and use synthetic data created by AI systems.

While national defense is primarily the responsibility of the federal government, Indiana Senate Republicans have been working to protect Hoosiers from foreign adversaries like China, Russia and Iran.

As part of these efforts, the Indiana Public Retirement System (INPRS) recently completed a $1.2 billion divestment from Chinese government-controlled assets.

This effort stems from a new law I supported that required INPRS to divest from these entities because I believe Hoosiers' tax dollars should not be invested in companies controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.

This year, I also supported laws that:

Protect public colleges from influence by foreign adversaries;
Ban foreign adversaries from purchasing or leasing agricultural land; and
Prohibit foreign adversaries from purchasing or leasing any land within a 10-mile radius of a military installation.

For more information about our state's efforts to divest from our foreign adversaries, click here.

U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) introduced the bipartisan Critical Materials Future Act to establish a pilot program for the Department of Energy to support domestic critical mineral processing projects.

“Our reliance on global supply chains for critical materials poses a significant national security threat, especially as the Chinese Communist Party continues to manipulate this market,” said Senator Young. “Our bill will take innovative steps to identify opportunities for American leadership and investment in critical material projects, strengthening domestic supply chains and boosting our economic and global competitiveness.”

“China is rivaling American dominance by controlling the critical minerals market,” said Senator Hickenlooper. “Boosting our domestic processing is how we’ll maintain American leadership in the world.”

The U.S. critical minerals list contains 50 minerals – including graphite, nickel, and cobalt – that are essential to our economy, infrastructure, and military capability. Critical minerals are used in smartphones, semiconductors, batteries, advanced defense equipment, and more.

China currently controls 90% of the global processing capacity for rare earth elements and over 80% of the processing for other critical minerals like cobalt, gallium, and graphite. Experts have become increasingly concerned with U.S. dependence on China for critical materials, arguing it poses a significant risk to national security. In August 2023, China announced export controls on gallium and germanium, critical minerals used in semiconductor manufacturing. In October 2023, China introduced export license requirements for graphite, essential for battery anodes. And in June 2023, a cobalt mine in Idaho was forcedto shutter its operations before it opened and lay off hundreds of workers as China flooded the market with cheap cobalt.

Specifically, the Critical Materials Future Act grants the Secretary of Energy the authority to deploy innovative financial mechanisms, such as contracts for differences and advanced market commitments, to support critical material processing projects in the United States. The bill also requires the Secretary of Energy to conduct a comprehensive study on the impact of these financial tools on market dynamics and processing projects within the critical materials sector, and to provide recommendations for expanding their use to strengthen America’s processing capabilities.

In addition to Senators Young and Hickenlooper, Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) also cosponsored the legislation.

The Critical Materials Future Act is supported by BPC Action, American Critical Minerals Association, and Employ America.

Full text of the Critical Materials Future Act is available here.

The Indiana Natural Resources Commission (NRC) has opened public comment for proposed changes to allow the limited, regulated trapping of bobcats. In March, the Indiana General Assembly passed legislation (Senate Enrolled Act 241) that directs the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to have rules in place by July 2025 for bobcat harvest. Public comments can be submitted at IN.gov/nrc/rules/rulemaking-docket using the “Submit Comments Here” link under the Bobcat Amendments Proposed Rule. Comments can also be mailed to the Natural Resources Commission.

The deadline for submitting public comments is Nov. 14, 2024. A public hearing will also be held on Nov. 14, 2024 between 5-7 p.m. ET at the Southeast – Purdue Agricultural Center located at 4425 East 350 North, Butlerville, IN 47223. Interested members of the public can attend in person or online anytime during that timeframe. The public hearing will also be webcast on the NRC’s rulemaking docket website at IN.gov/nrc/rules/rulemaking-docket during the time of the public hearing and comments will be able to be made through the online webcast. Sign up for updates at on.IN.gov/dfw-rule-changes

For more information on the proposed rule changes and submitting comments, visit on.IN.gov/dfw-rule-changes.