Cybersecurity Bill Moving Forward in Senate

Republican senators are indicating that they will move forward with Sen. Joe Lieberman’s (I-CT) cybersecurity bill but aren’t committing to supporting its passage without changes.

Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said they plan to vote to move Lieberman's bill forward as long as amendments will be brought up when the bill is considered. A key procedural vote that will determine whether the bill moves to the floor is scheduled for July 27 but may get pushed up to July 26. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said he’s open to having amendments. “There’s plenty of room for changes,” Sen Reid said. “Let’s have as many amendments as people feel appropriate.”

The White House issued a statement strongly backing the legislation. The White House acknowledged that the bill lacks "some of the key provisions of earlier bills," but said the latest version "will provide important tools to strengthen the nation's response to cybersecurity risks."

Sen. Lieberman pushed back against the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's claims that his cybersecurity bill is being rushed through the Senate. He said the bill has "been a long time coming" and there have been numerous hearings and discussions on the cybersecurity threat facing the United States. He noted that the co-sponsors of his bill altered the original version to respond to business groups' claims that it was too regulatory, making it "non-mandatory but still significant."
IBM sent a letter opposing the bill to Senate leadership. The company acknowledged that lawmakers made "substantial changes," but said the bill "remains flawed." IBM worried that proposed incentives would "quickly transform into a de facto government regulatory scheme."