U.S. Congress Addressing 18 New Cybersecurity Bills To Address Vulnerable Infrastructure

During the first six months into the Biden-Harris Administration, the series of alarming cybersecurity incidents have prompted U.S. Congress to introduce new cybersecurity bills that aim to increase cybersecurity funding, improve breach reporting, investigate cryptocurrencies, and more.

In the last two months, we have seen lawmakers introduce at least 18 additional bills to expand the United States’ cybersecurity infrastructure, beginning with the House Committee on Energy and Commerce voting to advance six bills that primarily deal with digital security and two other bills that contain significant cybersecurity provisions.

Let’s explore the current legislation before U.S. Congress:

The Cyber Incident Notification Act of 2021

Introduced earlier this month, the Cyber Incident Notification Act of 2021 would “require federal government agencies, federal contractors, and critical infrastructure operators to notify the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) when a breach is detected so that the U.S. government can mobilize to protect critical industries across the country.”

The bill is sponsored by Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, in addition to Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), vice chairman of the Committee, and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), a senior member of the Committee.

This bill directly speaks to the lack of and/or reporting deficiencies associated with consistent incidents – currently, no consistent data breach reporting mandates exist outside of certain critical infrastructure sectors. It also incentivizes reporting organizations to come forward, providing legal immunity.

“We shouldn’t be relying on voluntary reporting to protect our critical infrastructure,” Warner said in announcing the cyber incident bill. “We need a routine federal standard so that when vital sectors of our economy are affected by a breach, the full resources of the federal government can be mobilized to respond to and stave off its impact.”

2022 Defense Authorization Bill

Also this month, the Senate Armed Services Committee passed its version of the 2022 Defense Authorization Bill, which calls for an increased cybersecurity budget and requirements for the defense sector. Specifically, the bill asks for $268.4 million more for the Defense Department’s cybersecurity budget.

In assessing what the DOD would need to defend itself against cyberattacks, the bill also asks the DOD to conduct a pilot study to examine the “viability of teaming with ‘internet ecosystem companies to discover and disrupt the use of their platforms, systems, services, and infrastructure by malicious cyber actors.’”

This bill comes as a follow-up to the 2022 Homeland Security funding bill released at the end of June by the House Appropriations Committee, calling for a 16%, or $397.4 million, increase in CISA’s budget above the fiscal year.