Bipartisan Gardner legislation would establish Senate committee to oversee cybersecurity

A bipartisan resolution introduced by U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) last week would establish a Senate Select Committee on Cybersecurity tasked with preventing data breaches and strengthening cyber activities.

At least 20 standing committees in the House and Senate held hearings related to cybersecurity in the 114th Congress. Gardner and U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced a resolution that would authorize one committee to investigate cybersecurity matters, make recommendations and report legislation.

“Cybersecurity policy is one of the most complex and significant challenges facing Congress, yet the Senate’s structure to investigate and address cyber issues is diffuse and inadequate,” Gardner said. “This has led to an uncoordinated policy response to recent cyber attacks on government agencies, businesses, and infrastructure.”

Russia’s attack on the U.S. election, the 2015 Chinese hack into the Office of Personnel Management, the many intrusions into unclassified government networks, and efforts to compromise U.S. financial systems all indicate that U.S. cyber defenses need strengthening.

The Senate Select Committee on Cybersecurity would be comprised of 21 members, including the chair and ranking members of the Senate Appropriations Committee; Armed Services Committee; Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee; Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; Foreign Relations Committee; Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee; Select Committee on Intelligence; and Judiciary Committee.

“The scope of the cyber threat is as varied as the actors who are responsible for them and the consequences of potential attacks,” Gardner said. “Therefore, as cyber risks threats evolve so must U.S. cybersecurity policy.”

“The establishment of a Select Committee on Cybersecurity is essential to investigating emerging cyber risks and bolstering our defenses against them through legislative solutions, and I’m hopeful that my colleagues recognize that a centralized structure is the best path forward to effectively tackle the cyber challenge,” he added.