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U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy of Winter Park, Fla., today expressed satisfaction that the core of her bill—H.R. 2645, the Prevention and Oversight of Intelligence Sharing with Enemies (POISE) Act—was included as a provision in the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, which was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives today.

Murphy introduced the POISE Act in May, after the president disclosed highly-sensitive information to senior Russian officials during a White House meeting. This information had evidently been entrusted to the United States by a key ally. The POISE Act would require the executive branch to promptly notify the House and Senate congressional intelligence committees when any U.S. executive branch official, including the president himself, intentionally or inadvertently discloses Top Secret information to government officials of nations that sponsor terrorism or, like Russia, are subject to U.S. economic sanctions.

“As someone who has previously handled Top Secret security information, I know how critical it is to handle this information with care—especially when it’s obtained through an ally. It is dangerous for any American official to share classified information with an adversary, especially outside of established intelligence channels,” said Murphy, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee and formally served as a national security specialist at the Department of Defense. “The adversary could use the information to harm the United States or its allies. Additionally, our partners might decide to stop sharing critical intelligence with us if they lose confidence in our capacity to keep it confidential.”

After filing the POISE Act, Murphy worked successfully with the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to incorporate it in the Intelligence Authorization Act. The bill, which authorizes funding for the U.S. intelligence community, contains the core of the POISE Act, clarifying that the executive branch must inform the congressional intelligence committees within seven days of learning that an administration official, including the president, has disclosed information to an “adversary foreign government” outside of normal intelligence-sharing channels. The bill defines “adversary foreign government” to include Russia, as well as North Korea, Iran, China, and Cuba.

To see a video of Murphy’s remarks on the House floor recognizing the inclusion of the provision in the Intelligence Authorization Act, click here.

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U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy represents Florida’s Seventh Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she serves on the House Armed Services Committee and Small Business Committee. The district includes all of Seminole County and much of northern Orange County, including downtown Orlando, Maitland, Winter Park, and the University of Central Florida. Previously, Murphy was a businesswoman and college instructor who also served as a national security specialist in the Office of the Secretary of Defense where she received numerous awards for her distinguished service, including the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service. Murphy lives in Winter Park with her husband and two children.