McCaul, Ratcliffe, Katko unveil bipartisan bill to enhance homeland cybersecurity

U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX), John Katko (R-NY), and John Ratcliffe (R-TX) on Feb. 13 introduced bipartisan legislation that would authorize cybersecurity response teams at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

“It is essential that Congress work to find real, bipartisan solutions that secure our critical infrastructure and defend the integrity of our cybersecurity systems,” said Rep. McCaul, who is chairman of the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee.

Rep. McCaul sponsored the Cyber Incident Response Teams Act, H.R. 1158, while Reps. Katko and Ratcliffe were among the original cosponsors along with U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI).

H.R. 1158 would codify and improve cyber incident response teams at DHS National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) to prioritize protection of the nation’s information technology networks and infrastructure and would permit private-sector cyber specialists to operate on the teams in collaboration with those from the United States government, according to the lawmakers’ joint Feb. 14 statement.

“The United States must remain vigilant to the cyber threats we face as a nation and we must constantly evolve to improve our defensive capabilities,” said Rep. McCaul, who added that H.R. 1158 would provide another line of defense via cyber incident response teams at DHS that would assist asset owners and operators.

“Additionally, this legislation enables DHS to foster collaboration between the private and public sectors to harness and maximize our efforts to combat cyber threats and protect our cyber networks,” said McCaul, who along with Rep. Langevin is co-chair of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus.

‘I’m grateful to be joining Congressman McCaul and our bipartisan colleagues to move legislation that will boost DHS’ ability to respond to cyber incidents through new collaborative efforts with private sector cyber specialists who can help us ensure our cyber networks are better secured,” Rep. Ratcliffe said.

Rep. Langevin pointed out that hunt-and-incident response teams are vital to the new DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

“In protecting federal government networks and those of critical infrastructure owners and operators, CISA is leading the way in ensuring we can enjoy the immense benefits of the Internet while reducing the risks being connected can bring,” the congressman said.

Rep. Katko added that H.R. 1158 also would guarantee the proper identification of cybersecurity threats and provide Americans with recovery assistance from a cyber-attack. “I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill and thank Chairman McCaul for his leadership on this issue,” Rep. Katko said.

H.R. 1158 is under consideration by the House Homeland Security Committee.