The Senate is getting ready to get serious about cybersecurity legislation this summer, at least according to one lawmaker.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said the Senate could take up major cyber issues such as information sharing and encryption next month, with a number of bipartisan bills and amendments currently on the table.
“We have a very good chance of moving forward with a cyber bill right now,” Whitehouse said during a conference with reporters, noting that congress has been close to a conference bill before but was held up by parliamentary tactics.
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He pointed to several bills currently making the committee rounds, including the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015, which passed the Senate Intelligence Committee with only one vote against; an update of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which is currently going through committee hearings; and the Cyber Security Public Awareness Act, which was first introduced in 2013 but might see light again in the near future.
Whitehouse said he expects CISA could hit the floor in August and other worthwhile legislation will likely be added on as amendments for a broader cybersecurity package.
“I think we have a terrific opportunity in the senate to get to a core bill on the floor and then through the process of amendment add significant, thoughtful, bipartisan amendments that are truly directed at cybersecurity,” he said.
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The Senate is looking at its own versions of information sharing legislation but the House already passed two such bills. One — the National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act introduced by Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas — passed the House in April with broad bipartisan support.
“It would be great if the Senate would pass my cybersecurity bill,” McCaul said. “That goes a long ways, with the Department of Homeland Security sharing threat information with the private sector and private sharing with the federal government, which could have helped prevent the breach on OPM.”
McCaul noted one of the biggest roadblocks to information sharing is liability protection, which the current bills look to address.
