Hurd sponsors bipartisan bill to bolster oversight of America’s cybersecurity

U.S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) on Jan. 4 sponsored the bipartisan Federal CIO Authorization Act of 2019 to improve how the Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) oversees the nation’s cybersecurity.

Rep. Hurd introduced H.R. 247 with U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) to amend the United States Code to craft changes related to electronic government services, among other purposes, according to the text of the proposed legislation in the congressional record.

“Every single minute of every single day, hackers are trying to steal Americans’ information. From credit card numbers, to social security numbers, our personal information is targeted by bad actors around the globe,” said Rep. Hurd. “Americans should be able to trust their government to keep their information safe.”

H.R. 247 would establish a simpler information technology (IT) reporting structure within the administration by raising the Federal CIO’s role to that of a presidential appointee who would directly report to the director of the Office of Management and Budget, according to a summary provided by the congressman’s office.

“This bill helps keep the vast information stored by the federal government secure from hackers by making clear that the Federal CIO is in charge of the security of our data across the government,” Rep. Hurd said.

H.R. 247 also would codify the Federal Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) as a presidential appointee who would report to the Federal CIO, according to the summary.

“Reauthorizing and codifying the roles of the Federal CIO and CISO will help streamline government IT processes and advance modernization efforts to bring government into the 21st century,” said Rep. Kelly, who joined Rep. Hurd during the 115th Congress to introduce similar legislation that the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved in November 2018.

However, because the previous bill, the Federal CIO Authorization Act of 2018, H.R. 6901, didn’t make it out of the U.S. Senate, the lawmakers have now reintroduced it during this congressional session.

“We need to get this done in the 116th Congress,” Rep. Kelly said last week.

H.R. 247 was referred to the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee for consideration.