Bipartisan effort to clean up cyber regulations gets a boost in House but calendar is tight The Record from Recorded Future News

pppLeadershipppCybercrimeppNationstateppElectionsppTechnologyppCyber DailyppClick Here Podcastpp Free Newsletterpp A House Republican late last week introduced legislation to untangle the countrys jumble of cybersecurity regulations keeping the bipartisan proposal alive as Congress finishes its work for 2024 pp The measure from Rep Clay Higgins of Louisiana a member of both the House Homeland Security and Oversight committees is a companion bill to bipartisan legislation that sailed through the panels Senate counterpart in July by a 141 vote Recorded Future News first reported on the proposed law pp Both would require the White Houses national cyber director to establish a committee to harmonize the patchwork of cyber requirements imposed on the private sector by federal regulatory agencies  pp The Biden administration has given the legislation its fullthroated support arguing the existing landscape is a myriad of inadequate and often redundant requirements that actually harm the nations digital defenses pp Duplicative requirements can perversely result in worse cybersecurity outcomes because teams have to focus on compliance instead of directly mitigating cyber risk Harry Coker the countrys current cyber czar said at Columbia SIPA cyber conference last week pp But the click is ticking There are only a few weeks left in the lameduck session of Congress and there are only a handful of legislative vehicles the regulatory bill which still has to be approved by committee and then the full chamber could be attached to A new Congress starts January 3 and Presidentelect Donald Trump will take office soon after that resetting the legislative agenda pp Higgins legislation could hitch a ride on another shortterm government funding bill The current spending bill expires on December 20 Republicans leaders have already signaled they will punt the issue into 2025 after the GOP secured a trifecta in government by seizing control of the White House and both chambers of Congress pp However its possible the proposed regulation overhaul ultimately expires at the end of the current twoyear congressional term meaning proponents would have to try again in the future pp Nicholas Leiserson assistant national cyber director for cyber policy and programs held out hope that the legislation would make it through the yearend gauntlet pp As ever in a lame duck theres a lot of activity going on at the end of the Congress But from our standpoint this has been a bipartisan issue from the beginning he told Recorded Future News on Friday during a phone interview pp Leiserson said that folks from across the political spectrum have come to support the legislations goal because its one of only a few cases in government where you can actually get better cybersecurity outcomes for less money noting Auburn Universitys McCrary Institute last month issued a list dozens of recommendations to revamp federal cyber policy with harmonization in the top spot pp Leiserson declined to speculate about what would happen if the bill isnt approved before lawmakers adjourn for the year pp Our hope is certainly that this is going to get done as soon as possible Thats our priority he said  pp What happens if it doesnt is really up to the next administration ppMartin Matishakppis the senior cybersecurity reporter for The Record Prior to joining Recorded Future News in 2021 he spent more than five years at Politico where he covered digital and national security developments across Capitol Hill the Pentagon and the US intelligence community He previously was a reporter at The Hill National Journal Group and Inside Washington PublishersppPrivacyppAboutppContact Uspp Copyright 2024 The Record from Recorded Future Newsp