DDF Sponsor Amanda Pedigo, Intuit, rings in the holiday season with Senator Pryor

In 2008, Senator Mark Pryor was reelected to his second term in the U.S. Senate after having served both in the Arkansas State House and as Arkansas Attorney General.

Senator Pryor serves on six Committees:  Appropriations; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; Small Business and Entrepreneurship; Rules; and Ethics. 

On the Commerce Committee, the senator chairs the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs,  and also sits on the subcommittees on Communications, Technology and the Internet; Competitiveness, Innovation, and Export Promotion; Science and Space; and Surface Transportation.  One of his major goals is to help rural communities meet growing infrastructure needs, including the disparity in broadband services.

The senator has been a great friend to the industry and a champion of innovative public-private partnerships. 

During his visit with DDF, Senator Pryor discussed spectrum auctions, job creation, regulatory reform, tax reform, infrastructure, education, and small business issues.

Panelists Steve Felice, Dell, and Jonathan Ortmans, Kauffman Foundation, are joined by speakers Senator Mary Landrieu and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers

Together with the Center for Public Policy Innovation (CPPI), a nonprofit educational think tank, DDF recently co-hosted a Small Business Public Policy Forum entitled "Restoring U.S. Competitiveness: Creating Jobs and Unleashing the Potential of Small Businesses Through Technology and Innovation" on Capitol Hill.

During the event, which also included support from Dell, Qualcomm, Intuit, Neustar, and VeriSign, leading stakeholders from industry, academia, and government spoke about the challenges facing start-ups and small businesses today. An audience comprised of senior congressional staff, Administration officials, industry leaders, and the media submitted dozens of questions through text messages and Tweets, resulting in a lively, interactive discussion.

DDF Sponsor Bernie McKay, Intuit, discusses his native Rhode Island with Rep. Langevin

First elected to the House in 2000, Congressman Jim Langevin is widely recognized as a national and Party leader on national security, health care, and stem cell research.

The congressman serves on the Armed Services Committee, where he is the Ranking Member of the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee, and serves on the subcommittees on Sea Power and Projection Forces, and Strategic Forces. At the request of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, he is serving his third term on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and is a member of the Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence.

Securing our nation's technology infrastructure against cyber attacks is a top priority for the congressman.  As the Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the bipartisan House Cybersecurity Caucus, he has taken on a leadership role in raising awareness of Cybersecurity issues in Congress and fostering dialogue and debate on the critical questions surrounding this topic.

The Rhode Island congressman joined DDF to discuss strengthening the country’s cybersecurity through bipartisan legislation and the development of a cyber workforce.