Ann Kirkpatrick: “I thank my colleague for giving me a couple of minutes to talk about the importance of protecting our veterans from…”

“I thank my colleague for giving me a couple of minutes to talk about the importance of protecting our veterans from cyber attack. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1128, the Department of Veterans Affairs Cyber Security Protection Act. My bill will protect veterans' personal and sensitive information from cyber attacks without compromising the VA's ability to provide the health care, benefits, and services our veterans have earned. This legislation will do primarily three things. First, it will require the VA to develop an information security strategic plan that protects current veterans' information and anticipates future cybersecurity threats. Second, it mandates a report on VA actions to hold employees accountable for data breaches. Third, it requires the VA to propose a reorganization of the VA's information-security infrastructure to protect veterans and provide greater levels of accountability and responsibility in the VA. My bill will also require the VA to report employee violations of its policy and report any incidents involving the compromise of veterans' personal information by the VA or from outside cyber attacks. Mr. Speaker, this bill is one commonsense way that we can hold the VA accountable and protect veterans' private and personal information from cyber threats, and I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1128.”