Senate Looks to Combine Cyber Bills
The Senate is looking to combine the various cyber bills in an effort to pass cyber legislation this year, Senate staffers said at the Symantec Government Symposium yesterday.
There is broad consensus on what needs to be included in a cyber bill, according to Eric Hopkins, professional staff member for the Federal Financial Management Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. However, many of the details have yet to be worked out.
Several similarities exist between current legislation proposed by Sens. Joe Lieberman, Susan Collins and Tom Carper and a bill put forward by Sens. Olympia Snowe and John Rockefeller. These include reforming FISMA, efforts to increase the cyber workforce, delineate the role the government can and should play in defending private networks and establishing clearly defined roles throughout the government for cybersecurity.
While Congress has certainly ramped up its efforts over cybersecurity recently, it is unclear if comprehensive legislation will be passed this year.
“The intent is there to get something done, but obviously, Congress has a lot on its plate right now,” Hopkins said. “What I do know is that, by working together, we can put something together that will be solid and hopefully won’t require too much debate on the floor. It’s not a partisan issue.”
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