WASHINGTON – Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., today praised passage of bipartisan legislation that would help prevent future cyberattacks by making it easier for private entities to share cybersecurity information.
“In 2013 there were 46,605 cyber breaches in the federal government, and it’s estimated that $445 billion is lost annually to cybercrime across the world economy,” said Foxx. “This legislation improves the government’s ability to protect the nation against cyber threats before they damage our infrastructure or economy while also ensuring the privacy and civil liberties of American citizens are protected.”
H.R. 1560, the Protecting Cyber Networks Act, which passed the House on Wednesday by a vote of 307-116, would encourage private companies to voluntarily share information with each other and with the government on cyber threats. H.R. 1731, the National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act, which passed the House on Thursday by a vote of 355-63, would strengthen the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center’s role as the lead civilian interface for the sharing of cybersecurity risks and incidents.
Both pieces of legislation prohibit the federal government from forcing private sector companies to give information to the government. They also require companies to remove all personal information before sharing as well as require federal government agencies to perform a second check to remove personal information.
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U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx represents North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District and is the elected Republican Conference Secretary. Dr. Foxx is the chair of the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and serves as Vice Chair of the House Rules Committee.
