Lawmakers move to extend two cyber programs (again) in funding proposal

Congressional leaders on Tuesday released a compromise government funding bill that would, once again, temporarily extend the life of two key cybersecurity laws.

The bipartisan legislation would reauthorize the 2015 Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Act and the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program through September 30.

The extension in the $1.2 trillion funding deal is the latest short-term solution in a monthslong saga for CISA 2015, which provides liability protections to encourage private companies to share digital threat information with the federal government.

Both statutes received widespread support from the cybersecurity community and the Trump administration prior to their expiration last year. They received temporary reprieves in the continuing resolution that reopened the government in November.

The House did approve a bill to extend the grants effort but there’s been no action in the Senate.

Meanwhile, several proposals have been introduced to reauthorize 2015 CISA long-term. The House Homeland Security Committee last year passed legislation to renew it for a decade with minor updates but it hasn’t been scheduled for a floor vote.

A bipartisan Senate duo introduced a bill that would extend the law for 10 years and provide retroactive protections for companies that shared cyber threat data even after the law lapsed. 

And Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, has drafted a bill that would trash the legal protection outlined in the original statute.

House leaders plan to hold a vote later in the week on the spending deal, which boosts defense funding to over $839 billion. 

Lawmakers have 10 days to clear the package for President Donald Trump’s signature before federal funding is set to lapse for the programs it covers.

With the Senate in recess this week, the upper chamber will need to approve the legislation when they return next week if Congress is going to head off another funding lapse and a partial government shutdown.