Ruppersberger Issues Statement on Introduction of Cyber Bill by House Intelligence Committee

(Washington, D.C.) – “I applaud the introduction of the “Protecting Cyber Networks Act” today by members of the House Intelligence Committee. The committee has developed a reputation as one of the most bipartisan in Washington and today’s legislation proves that its members continue to prioritize our nation’s security over partisan rhetoric. 

This legislation is very similar to the bill I introduced along with former Republican Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, the “Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act,” a bill that has twice passed the House of Representatives with wide bipartisan margins. Sharing information between the private and public sectors is the single most important thing we can do to combat increasingly-aggressive cyber attacks on American corporations and consumers, such as the attacks on Target, Home Depot and CareFirst. This legislation makes that possible.

I expect additional information-sharing proposals to be introduced in the near future. I hope the momentum we are seeing now indicates that, finally, Congress will pass information-sharing legislation this session to protect us from these attacks, which experts believe cost American corporations billions of dollars in intellectual property each year.”