House committee advances Mace bill to spur quantum cybersecurity preparedness

Bipartisan legislation proposed by U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) to spur the migration of federal government information technology systems to quantum-resistant cryptography on May 11 unanimously passed out of the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The bill now heads to the full chamber for consideration.

“It’s encouraging to see our colleagues recognize the importance of this legislation and I look forward to voting on it in the full House,” Rep. Mace said. “This bipartisan legislation is crucial for our future.”

The Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act, H.R. 7535, which Rep. Mace cosponsored on April 18 with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), aims to prompt the federal government to begin taking the necessary steps to prevent bad actors from stealing valuable information in the age of quantum computing, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Mace’s office.

“I’m optimistic about the power of quantum computing as part of the new technological frontier, but we must take preemptive steps to ensure bad actors aren’t able to use this technology in more sinister ways,” said Rep. Mace. “The Quantum Cybersecurity Preparedness Act is a crucial step forward in defending our vulnerable citizens from future cyber security threats.”

The bill is endorsed by Google, IBM, PQSecure Technologies, QuSecure, Maybell Quantum, and Quantinuum, according to the congresswoman’s staff.