Congress has officially left town for the August recess, and will not be back until after Labor Day. At that point there will be little just a handful of days in session before the elections take place. In honor of their vacation, the Washington Headlines And Technology column will focus on where they are on key issues for IT in the states:
Key Takeaway: Congress Keeps Moving Forward on Cybersecurity
With the House, Senate, and White House seeming to slowly move towards common ground surrounding information sharing legislation and potential reforms to NSA Surveillance, the time looks ripe for a large deal on cybersecurity. In response, there has been a flurry of activity around the topic in both chambers.
On the heels of several key stand-alone authorization bills receiving committee approval in the Senate earlier in July, the House has passed the National Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection Act. The bill, sponsored by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mike McCaul (R-TX), would codify the DHS role in cybersecurity and provide additional tools for the agency to build a cybersecurity workforce program. The bill would codify existing information sharing programs such as the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, make recommendations for improving information sharing with the private sector, but not permit DHS from requiring participation or other regulations on private business. DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson released a statement praising the bill's passage. With increasing agreement around several reforms to current government surveillance programs, Congress is increasingly optimistic there will be an opportunity to pass a comprehensive cybersecurity bill that includes information sharing between all levels of government and the private sector.
In addition, Senator Gillibrand(D-NY) introduced a bill last week that would provide tax incentives to companies that join information sharing and analysis centers (ISACs). NASCIO is reviewing the bills and actively working with both chambers to ensure information sharing reflects the needs of states.
Congress has very few legislative days left and many competing priorities. That aside, the picture is becoming more positive for action on this key issue.
Other Buzz:
NASCIO Thanks Senate Appropriators for NSTIC Support
Last week, NASCIO sent a letter to Chair Mikulski (MD) and Ranking Member Shelby (AL) of the Senate Appropriations Committee thanking them for their support for the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) initiative in the Senate Commerce, Justice, Science spending bill (S 2473). The House of Representatives passed a spending bill including only $5.9 million of the requested $16.5 million for the program, along with report language that would cut off funding for ongoing pilot programs in the states and cease any new pilots from occurring. The Senate has yet to pass their CJS bill. However, funding for the NSTIC program is a small piece of the much bigger question of spending in 2015....
House Leadership Looking to Delay Spending Decisions Until After Elections
Speaker Boehner has indicated that the House will look to pass a continuing resolution that will keep government funded at FY 2014 levels until after the November elections. With the House having passed only 7 of its 21 spending bills, and the Senate having passed none, there was little chance of Congress completing its spending bill before the end of the current fiscal year. The ongoing discussions show that there is little appetite for a government shutdown, which would occur October 1 if no action is taken by Congress.
FirstNet Begins State Consultations
FirstNet kicked off initial in-person consultations with state partners on the creation of a nationwide public safety broadband system, starting with the state of Maryland last week. State initial meetings will continue throughout the remainder of 2014 and into 2015. FirstNet stresses that these meetings will be the first of an iterative process geared towards ensuring that state governments and FirstNet can build a common plan for developing, deploying, and sustaining a high-tech communications network dedicated to first responders needs. FirstNet staff briefed NASCIO members on July 31 regarding initial consultations and the path forward.
Your Weekly Techbytes:
NIST to hold Cybersecurity Framework Workshop in Florida
FTC wants to stretch regulatory arm in big data
Government Remains the Primary Target of Cybercriminals
NYTimes Looks at CISOs tough job in ‘Can You Hack It?’
Big Data Gets Personal in U.S. Cities
Cybercrime costs the global economy around $445 billion annually
Atlantic reporter asks: Is it possible to be truly anonymous in the digital world?
Kentucky CIO Jim Fowler talks about Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and moving towards agile IT
What the Internet Can See From Your Cat Pictures