Outgoing Rep Lungren hopes to remain engaged in cybersecurity efforts

Rep Dan Lungren (R-CA), the outgoing chairman of the cybersecurity subpanel on the House Homeland Security Committee, said it's "an absolute necessity" for Congress to move forward on legislation in 2013 that's designed to help the private sector share data about cyber threats with the federal government.

"Look, the facts are the facts and the facts are we have a legitimate, clear and present threat we need to respond to," Rep Lungren told The Hill. "We are not in the best position to respond to it now, and there is a path forward I think and we ought to work on it." A cybersecurity bill by Rep Lungren was sidelined this spring after industry players complained to House GOP leadership that it was too regulatory, even after the California Republican watered down provisions that would have required critical infrastructure to boost the security of its networks. The measure would have placed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a hub for information sharing about cyber threats with private sector companies.