The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee yesterday unanimously approved a cyber security bill that promotes, and improves coordination of, related research and development (R&D).
Key provisions of the Cyber Security Enhancement Act of 2013 (H.R. 756) call for providing a strategic plan to assess the cyber security risk and guide the overall direction of federal cyber R&D, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), a co-sponsor of the bill, said in a statement. The bill also updates the responsibilities of the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop security standards to harden federal networks and continues cyber R&D programs at NIST and the National Science Foundation.
The Cyber Security Enhancement Act, which was co-sponsored by Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), also would establish a task force consisting of federal, university and private sector officials to coordinate R&D and improve the training of cyber professionals.