Protecting Cyber Networks Act

Floor Speech

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Madam Chair, I would like to thank Ranking Member Adam Schiff, as well as our chair, Chairman Nunes, for your leadership on this matter.

Today, I rise in support of H.R. 1560, the Protecting Cyber Networks Act, a bill that I am proud to be an original cosponsor, a bill that was unanimously voted out of our committee, the Intel Committee.

Again, I want to commend both the chairman and the ranking member for their leadership. It is an honor to serve on that committee where we really try, on a daily basis, to be bipartisan in our efforts to protect the homeland and to secure our national security.

This critical bill is bipartisan legislation, which encourages the private sector to share cyber threat information, which will ultimately help prevent future attacks. It seems like we are always hearing about another company being hit with cyber attacks.

These attacks cost our economy billions of dollars each year, and it threatens our national security and jeopardizes every American's sensitive, personal, and financial information.

This bill takes a very important step towards addressing this emerging national security threat without compromising the privacy of American citizens.

Fostering an environment where companies can voluntarily share information with each other helps American businesses defend themselves against harmful cyber attacks and helps them protect consumer information and privacy.

Additionally, two-way information sharing with the Federal Government helps improve the Federal Government's ability to protect all Americans against foreign cyber threats by disseminating vital information in a more timely and efficient manner.

I know some continue to criticize this cyber bill and all cyber bills as violating privacy, but I must assure you, Madam Chair, that this bill is a vast improvement over the CISPA bill that was entered and passed this House last term.

This bill includes many more privacy protections that weren't in the original bill, the most important of which is the requirement for two scrubs of private information, one by the private sector before sharing that information and one by the government before sharing it further.

There is also now a civilian portal--no direct sharing with NSA--a very narrow set of government use provisions, and a clear and legislative prohibition against such surveillance. Let me repeat: no provision of this bill provides any surveillance authorities.

I am encouraged by the strong showing of bipartisanship as we work together to address the emerging threats to our national security. I urge my colleagues to join those of us who are members of the Intel Committee, as well as this administration has said that it also encourages a vote in support of this bill.

I urge my colleagues to support the efforts and vote ``yes'' on H.R. 1560.

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