House Passes Cybersecurity Bill with 3 Hurd Amendments
Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON DC Cybersecurity isnt
just the latest buzzword" said Texas Congressman Will Hurd (R-San Antonio) who serves as Chairman of the Oversight & Government Reform Committees Information Technology Subcommittee. Its a serious issue with
the potential to impact every American" said Hurd who helped usher through legislation to combat cyber attacks.
Drawing upon his expertise learned while in the CIA and building a cybersecurity firm Cong. Hurd and the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1731 the National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act introduced by Rep Michael McCaul (R-TX) Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security and Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) Chairman of the Homeland Subcommittee on Cybersecurity Infrastructure Protection and Security Technologies.
Cyberattacks are a daily occurrence affecting our government U.S. businesses and American citizens.
National secrets proprietary data and personally identifiable information are all at risk due to bad actors seeking to cause maximum harm" said Hurd.
The legislation gives U.S. companies greater opportunity to share cyber threat data and centralizes the information into the civilian-run National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC). Measures are included in the bill to ensure t
hat personal information is stripped before being passed on protecting the privacy of American citizens.
Three amendments introduced by Hurd (at right) were included in the final passage of the bill including one which will help streamline DHS by authorizing the current program that is used to respond to and mitigate cyber threats.
A second amendment sponsored by every Member of Congress in the San Antonio Texas area would formalize the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium within DHS which provides cybersecurity training and exercise programs through several universities including University of Texas at San Antonio.
The establishment of the consortium is critical for the nation not just UTSA" said Dr. Greg White a professor specializing in computer and information security at the University of Texas San Antonio.
The nation needs an entity that states and communities can turn to for help in building viable and sustainable cyber security programs. This is a mission at which UTSA has been at the forefront since 2002.
A third amendment which was adopted unanimously was added to the bill last week to ensure small and medium-sized businesses have the same access to DHS cybersecurity resources that large firms currently enjoy.
I spent four years helping to build a cybersecurity firm so I know firsthand the issues they face. We need to make sure they have the resources they need and this amendment will help. These small businesses work hard and contribute a great deal to
the fight against cyber terror and their efforts benefit everyone" Hurd stated.
Though President Obama threatened to veto similar legislation from the House of Representatives in the last Congress the White House has indicated support for current efforts.
Cyberattacks are an issue of national security. I encourage the Senate to take up this legislation and put it on the Presidents desk for his signature" concluded Hurd.
