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COMMITTEE UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES BILL SUPPORTING CYBERSECURITY

– November 18, 2009- The Science and Technology Committee today unanimously approved H.R. 4061, the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2009. 

“We are all aware that the importance of cybersecurity has grown dramatically in recent years, as most of the critical systems upon which we depend- from telecommunications to electricity to banking and commerce- rely on secure and reliable computing,” said Ranking Member Ralph Hall (R-TX).

“I also want to note my appreciation for what this bill doesn’t do,” Hall continued. “It avoids calling for any activities that could amount to being regulatory in nature. I think this is important, and I hope we can ensure this bill continues to restrain from such action as it moves through the legislative process.”

H.R. 4061 represents the combination of two bills that passed out of Subcommittee with bipartisan support. Specifically, the bill authorizes activities in three general areas in support of increased federal focus on cybersecurity.

• It continues support of basic research at the National Science Foundation (NSF);
• It expands NSF scholarships to increase the size and skills of the cybersecurity workforce; and
• It increases research and development (R&D), standards development and coordination, and public outreach at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) related to cybersecurity.

Introduced by Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), H.R. 4061 is co-sponsored by Ranking Member Hall, and Subcommittee Ranking Members Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) and Adrian Smith (R-NE).  The legislation also received endorsements from a number of organizations with a stake in improving cybersecurity, including the Computing Research Association, Association for Computing Machinery, and the Business Software Alliance.

An amendment offered by Rep. McCaul, that was approved today, makes minor changes to the bill to help agency information technology (IT) managers choose the appropriate software systems for their cybersecurity needs. A leader in the push for enhancing federal cybersecurity efforts, McCaul said, “One of the key issues we face when dealing with cybersecurity is the lack of an adequately trained workforce, both in the government and in the private sector.  This legislation will ultimately ensure that we are prepared to take proper steps to secure our most sensitive computer networks from those who intend to hack into our systems, steal sensitive information and jeopardize our economy and national security.”

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