Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2013
Floor Speech
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Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I want to start by thanking the gen tle lady for yielding and for her support on this bill, and thank Chairman Smith for his support and for moving the bill early in this Congress. I also want to thank Mr. McCaul for working with me on this bill for the third straight Congress and for his broader leadership in Congress on cybersecurity issues.
Two Congresses ago when Democrats were in the majority, I was the lead sponsor of this bill. Last Congress, Mr. McCaul became the lead sponsor. Both times the bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, which is a testament to the importance of this bill and to the quality of the work that has gone into it.
Hopefully in this Congress, as Mr. McCaul said, the House and the Senate will finally pass this vital piece of the puzzle in protecting America's cybersecurity.
When I began working on this bill in 2010, it was clear that our use of the Internet and other communication networks would continue to grow and evolve, and that threats from individual hackers, criminal syndicates, and even other governments would grow and evolve, too. This has turned out to be all too true.
Just last month, the Director of National Intelligence testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee that the danger of cyber attacks and cyber espionage on crucial infrastructure tops the list of global threats to our Nation. I believe that we face the possibility of a cyber ``Pearl Harbor'' that could destroy America's military or economic security. We have already seen the loss of countless jobs through cyber espionage, and we face--and thankfully, so far, we have repelled--much worse attacks every day. It is now more important than ever that we get this legislation onto the President's desk.
H.R. 756 will increase the security of our networks and information systems by building strong public-private partnerships, improving the transfer of cybersecurity technologies to the marketplace, training a cybersecurity workforce for both the public and private sectors, and coordinating and prioritizing Federal cybersecurity R&D efforts.
In addition to requiring a strategic plan for Federal cybersecurity R&D among all of the relevant Federal agencies, this bill explicitly authorizes programs and activities at the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Both of these agencies play an important and unique role in the Federal Government's efforts to secure cyberspace.
This bill also builds on recommendations of the administration's cyberspace policy review. The first step is education, including educating individuals, companies, and especially the next generation of IT professionals. This legislation works towards these goals by building on existing partnerships, such as the NSF-sponsored Center for System Security and Information Assurance at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Illinois. This college has trained hundreds of teachers and college faculty in cybersecurity-related areas since 2003, individuals who are now teaching at colleges and technical training programs nationwide.
H.R. 756 utilizes these existing programs across the country by providing scholarships to students pursuing cybersecurity degrees in exchange for their service in the Federal IT workforce. This approach not only provides for the immediate workforce needs of the Federal Government but also builds a pipeline for private industry.
Of course, research, standards, and education are only part of the cybersecurity solution, but they are critical pieces of the puzzle that Congress must complete to secure our Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank again Mr. McCaul for his work on this legislation. I urge Members to support it.
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