[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 152 (Friday, December 12, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1835]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               THE CYBERSECURITY ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2014

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LAMAR SMITH

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 11, 2014

  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives McCaul and 
Lipinski for introducing the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act in the House 
last year. I am pleased to be an original cosponsor.
  In April 2013, the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act was favorably 
reported out of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee and later 
passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 402-16.
  The bipartisan, bicameral agreement on the legislation before us 
today is based on the House-passed bill.
  Throughout the 113th Congress, the Science Committee has remained 
committed to advancing the basic research necessary to strengthen our 
Nation's cyber infrastructure.
  Cyber attacks against the U.S. government and private sector networks 
are on the rise. Scarcely a day passes without a report of a new cyber 
attack on critical parts of our nation's cyber infrastructure, 
government agency, or business.
  As our reliance on information technology expands, so do our 
vulnerabilities. New technological advances bring new avenues from 
which foreign countries can attack our networks.
  Protecting America's cyber systems is critical to our economic and 
national security.
  The Cybersecurity Enhancement Act is the work of a bicameral 
bipartisan compromise. S.1353 promotes much-needed research and 
development to help create new technologies and standards that better 
protect America's information technology systems.
  The legislation before us today will coordinate research and 
development activities to better address evolving cyber threats.
  Keeping our cyber infrastructure secure is a responsibility shared by 
several Federal agencies, including the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology (NIST) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
  To improve America's cybersecurity abilities, this bill strengthens:
  Strategic planning for cybersecurity research and development needs 
across the federal government;
  NSF scholarships to improve the quality of the cybersecurity 
workforce; and
  Research, development and public outreach organized by NIST related 
to cybersecurity.
  S. 1353 maintains language from the House passed Cybersecurity 
Enhancement Act. This language will strengthen NIST's role in 
cybersecurity automation and checklist creation for government systems, 
strategic planning for cloud computing, and identity management 
research and development.
  The bill also includes language from the legislation introduced last 
year by Senators Rockefeller and Thune. These provisions will encourage 
competitions and challenges that focus on the security of information 
technology and support public-private collaboration on cybersecurity.
  The threat of cyber-attacks is immediate. To address our 
vulnerabilities as quickly as possible, America needs a solution that 
invokes the cooperation of many public and private sector entities. We 
must develop a rigorous scientific foundation for cybersecurity. This 
legislation helps foster such an effort.
  I again thank my Science Committee colleague, Representative McCaul, 
for his initiative on this issue. He has led the charge on this 
legislation over the last several Congresses. I look forward to this 
bill becoming law.

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