Bob Latta: “I thank the gentleman, my friend, the ranking Republican Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, for yielding. I…”

“I thank the gentleman, my friend, the ranking Republican Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, for yielding. I rise in support of my legislation, H.R. 360, the Cyber Sense Act. This legislation is one of two bipartisan bills that my friend from California, Congressman McNerney, and I have worked on over the past two Congresses to improve the resiliency of our Nation's electric grid against cyberattacks. The second, H.R. 359, will be considered following this debate, and I urge my colleagues to also support it. Mr. Speaker, over the last quarter century, we have seen incredible changes in the way we communicate with the rest of the world and the way we engage in commerce. Along with these changes, we have also seen innovations in technologies that power society, resulting in a more efficient and streamlined electric grid. Our country's grid has maintained a high level of reliability as our society has undertaken these changes, which is a fact that should not be taken for granted. Unfortunately, the promise of a more interconnected society also means we must also address the challenges and vulnerabilities that arise with it. Every day, malignant actors, ranging from individuals, hackers, and foreign states, are attempting to exploit vulnerabilities in our electric grid to cause chaos or for other nefarious purposes.…”