Senate passes bill to bolster cybersecurity research

The Senate late Wednesday passed by voice vote a bill that would authorize $903 million over five years for cybersecurity research in what proponents said is an attempt to address a deficiency in expertise in that area.

"America needs to sharpen its expertise and deepen its bench in terms of cybersecurity knowledge and talent because the threats to our networks are growing," bill co-sponsor Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in a Thursday statement. He said the bill would create "a new generation of experts to meet tomorrow's threats."

The bill, H.R. 3394, now moves to the House. The House passed its first version of the legislation by a margin of 400-12 in February.

House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert, the sponsor of the original bill, has been working with leadership throughout the process, his spokeswoman said. "This is Chairman Boehlert's top priority," she said. "We are confident that it will pass" when the House returns.

"Neither the danger of cyberterrorism nor the importance of this legislation can be overstated," Boehlert, R-N.Y., said in a Thursday statement, adding that the measure "serves as a call to arms to the high-tech community and the nation's science and technology enterprise."

House and Senate staffers negotiated a compromise before the Senate vote. That process led to a reduction in the Senate proposed authorization from $978 million to $903 million.

The bill would authorize grants through the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It also would mandate a report to Congress on critical infrastructure weaknesses and require the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop strategies for greater coordination of research and development activities.

Boehlert's office called the bill "virtually the same" as the House version. The biggest change for the House was the addition of a $25 million program to increase the number of faculty qualified to teach college-level cybersecurity courses. The House originally authorized $878 million.

The Senate also included language that would direct NIST to develop checklists of security measures for use by federal agencies. The list would set forth security settings and options available on federally procured hardware and software.

Another new provision seeks to ensure that students and universities participating in the program comply with immigration laws. And the Senate made some minor changes to make the measure's language fit with the House-passed bill to create a Homeland Security Department, H.R. 5005.