Donovan bill would strengthen U.S. cyber defense

U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) introduced legislation on Tuesday that would improve coordination between federal, state, local agencies on cyber threats, as well as reform and strengthen the country’s cybersecurity procedures.

The Cyber Preparedness Act, H.R. 5459, draws from ideas gleaned during a House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communication hearing chaired by Donovan in May to explore how to improve preparedness, information sharing, and response capabilities of federal, state and local authorities for cyber-attacks.

“Information sharing and adjustments to grant rules might sound mundane, but defending against cyber-attack requires attention to every detail,” Donovan said. “The tweaks made in my bill come directly from expert testimony at a hearing last month, and they’ll have a meaningful impact on cyber defenses.”

Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, state and urban law enforcement agencies worked with the Department of Homeland Security to establish “fusion centers” to share counterterrorism intelligence between federal, state and local authorities.

Donovan learned during the May hearing, however, that state and local agencies don’t always receive the most up-to-date information about cyber threats from federal agencies.

Under the Cyber Preparedness Act, state and local officials working out of fusion centers would be able to use the Department of Homeland Security’s National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) to make information sharing about cyber threats more efficient.

The bill would also clarify that homeland security grants can be used for state and local cybersecurity initiatives.