House Boots Up Cyber Week

A look at the week of April 23 in public advocacy for the IT channel:  This week, the House will review four cybersecurity bills, including the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA).  A new small business tax cut was approved by the House this week.  National Journal looks at the role of the House Homeland Security Committee in evaluating cyber legislation.


House Boots Up 'Cyber Week'— The House is set to vote on four cybersecurity bills during what lawmakers have dubbed "cyber week." The most prominent bill is the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA). The measure, sponsored by Reps. Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), would tear down legal barriers that discourage companies from sharing data about cyberattacks. The goal of the legislation is to help companies beef up their defenses against hackers who steal business secrets, rob customers' financial information and wreak havoc on computer systems, reports The Hill.


House Approves Small-Business Tax-Cut Measure — The House passed a Republican plan to cut taxes on small businesses by as much as 20 percent, says The Wall Street Journal . House Republicans said the one-year tax cut for businesses with fewer than 500 workers would boost job creation. Only companies that pay wages would be eligible for the deduction of 20 percent of their domestic business income, with the total limited to no more than half of the amount of wages paid. Businesses with fewer than 500 workers employ half of all private-sector employees, government data show, suggesting the tax cut would affect a wide swath of the economy.


House Homeland Security Committee is on Cybersecurity Sidelines— As the House considers several cybersecurity bills later this week, the House Homeland Security Committee will be playing only a supporting role in what could be considered one of its signature issues, says National Journal. Conspicuously absent from the House's "Cyber Week" agenda is the Homeland Security Committee's Precise Act, which cleared a subcommittee by voice vote in February. The committee will hold at least two hearings this week to highlight cyberthreats, but for a panel that oversees the agency deemed central to the government's civilian cybersecurity efforts, it is a significantly diminished role.