As the voice of startups to government, Engine proudly assisted in organizing this year’s Startup Week Across America. Officially held August 20-24, more than 50 House members met with startups in their communities to learn more about the issues that matter most their businesses.

The Big Story: California advances net neutrality. A key committee of California lawmakers approved a strong net neutrality bill this week, setting it up for a vote by the full Assembly next week.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – Startup Week Across America. In partnership with Reps. Suzan K. DelBene, Susan Brooks, Yvette Clarke, Randy Hultgren, Jerry McNerney and Mimi Walters, Engine, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Economic Innovation Group, and the Center for American Entrepreneurship, we are excited to celebrate Startup Week Across America from August 20 through August 24.

The Big Story: Warner’s Internet platform proposals. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, is circulating a set of 20 proposals to regulate Internet platforms, according to a report this week from Axios.

A new report out this week highlights the many problems law enforcement agencies at all levels face when trying to access digital information.

The Big Story: A Republican’s net neutrality push. Colorado Republican Rep. Mike Coffman came out this week with two major moves on net neutrality; he introduced a bill that enshrines much of the FCC’s 2015 protections in law, and he became the first House Republican to sign onto the discharge petition to bring to the House floor the Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to undo the FCC’s repeal of those protections.

The Big Story: SCOTUS pick’s tech record. President Donald Trump announced this week that he is nominating Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court left by the departing Justice Anthony Kennedy. As a current judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Kavanaugh has a record on several hot-button tech issues, including privacy and net neutrality.

The Big Story: California’s new privacy law. This week, California lawmakers passed—and Governor Jerry Brown signed into law—a sweeping new online privacy law that will dramatically increase burdens and legal risks for startups with users in California.

The Big Story: A big week for patent milestones. It’s been a big week in the patent world, with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issuing it’s 10 millionth utility patent just three years after granting patent the 9 millionth.

With days to go until the FCC’s repeal of its net neutrality rules goes into effect on June 11, the House is facing increasing pressure to take up and pass a measure that would reverse the FCC’s repeal.

This week, the California Senate voted 23-12 to approve a bill to reinstate strong net neutrality protections in the state.

With a bipartisan 52-47 vote, the Senate passed a measure to overturn the FCC’s repeal of its 2015 net neutrality rules.

Internet companies, advocacy groups, and lawmakers joined efforts this week, turning the Internet red to raise awareness around an upcoming Senate vote to reinstate the FCC’s 2015 net neutrality rules.

Net neutrality advocates and lawmakers are preparing for a vote this month that could undo the FCC’s December move to repeal 2015 net neutrality rules.

The debate over law enforcement access to encrypted technologies flared up again this week after Wired published a deep dive on a proposal that would allow law enforcement to unlock encrypted devices.