On the recordJuly 24, 2013
the cybersecurity legislation Senator Thune and I introduce today is built upon several years of bipartisan hard work on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. I am proud of that fact and proud of our work product. I would like to sincerely thank Senator Thune for working closely with me on this legislation. Senator Thune appreciates the gravity of the cybersecurity threat to our national security and our economy--a genuine threat to the free flow of commerce. He has been laser focused in finding workable, private sector led solutions to mitigate this existential threat. Our bill will go a long way to better secure our nation from ongoing cyber threats by having the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, a world-class, non-regulatory agency within the Department of Commerce--facilitate and support the development of voluntary, industry-led standards and best practices to reduce cyber risks to critical infrastructure and all businesses. Our bill will give NIST the permanent authority it needs to continue the standards development process initiated by the President's Executive Order on Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity to ensure such efforts remain industry led and voluntary. It will also make sure that the Federal Government supports cutting edge research, works to increase public awareness, and improves our workforce to better address cyber threats.…
