The Senate on Dec. 9 by unanimous consent approved legislation to expand an existing binational research and development program between the Department of Homeland Security and Israel.
Under the United States-Israel Advanced Research Partnership Act (H.R.5877), which passed the House in November, the DHS Science and Technology Directorate is authorized to “enter into cooperative research activities with Israel to strengthen preparedness against cyber threats and enhance capabilities in cybersecurity.”
The bill was co-authored in the House by Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) and Rep. James Langevin (D-R.I.).
A separate bill aimed creating a grant program for joint cyber security R&D ventures between Israel and U.S. organizations that also passed the House in November hasn’t been acted on by the Senate. The United States-Israel Cybersecurity Cooperation Enhancement Act (H.R. 5843) was also introduced by Ratcliffe and Langevin.