Cyber & Data-Security Bills R&D Pass House with Texas Leadership

Lamar Smith Michael McCaul provide Strategic Cyber-Security R&D planning

Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C.  Cyber attacks against U.S. government and private sector networks are on the rise. As our reliance on information technology expands so do our vulnerabilities. Protecting Americas cyber systems is critical to our Economic & National Security said Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith as the U.S. House passed two bills designed to drive research & development across federal agencies to better address cyber threats to Americas high-tech infrastructure.  

The Advancing Americas Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Act of 2013 (H.R. 967) passed by a vote of 406-11 and the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2013 (H.R. 756) passed by a vote of 402-16.

In the digital age protecting our nations computer networking systems is more important than ever. The bills approved today provide the coordinated R&D efforts necessary to improve cyber and data security nationwide said Smith. Better network security promotes U.S. competitiveness enhances national security and creates high-tech jobs."

Introduced by Committee Member Cong. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) H.R. 756 addresses important cybersecurity research efforts conducted by NSF and NIST.  The bill provides strategic planning for cybersecurity R&D needs across the federal government and reauthorizes funding for established cybersecurity basic research and education grants at NSF. The bill also enhances NSF scholarships to increase the size and skills of the cybersecurity workforce and provides for an assessment of the federal governments current and future cybersecurity workforce needs.

Every agency in the federal government has been victim of cyber attacks from our adversaries and online criminals.  The first step in addressing this national security challenge is to develop a strategy for bolstering our defensive capabilities which the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act does.  Taking steps to harden our federal networks this bill sets procurement standards and security guidelines to address our vulnerabilities and takes an innovative approach to building our domestic cybersecurity workforce said Cong. McCaul who also serves as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.

H.R. 967 introduced by Energy Subcommittee Chairman Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) reauthorizes the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) program. The NITRD program is the main federal R&D investment portfolio in unclassified networking computing software cybersecurity and related information technologies. Fourteen agencies contribute expertise and funding to the program. Said Energy Subcommittee Chairman Lummis: We live in a fast-paced fluid technologically focused world. Todays vote reauthorizes an important program that provides the coordination and focus our country needs to stay competitive in this dynamic environment. Past research under NITRD has yielded innovative technology to forecast weather patterns track traffic patterns and even map the human genome. Reauthorization of NITRD ensures a program that reflects developments and shifts in networking and information technology ranging from cyber security and cloud computing to big data and the supercomputing research conducted at the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center" Lummis said.