House approves raft of DHS bills
The House of Representatives passed package of bills covering a range of homeland security issues, from cybersecurity to border security and acquisition.
The leader of the House Homeland Security Committee touted the House's ratification of almost 20 bills that would tackle an array of cybersecurity, border technology and management issues at the Department of Homeland Security.
The 17 bills that cleared the House, according to a Jan 31 statement by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), address border security, transportation security, and cybersecurity defenses, enhance first responder capabilities and streamline DHS' management efficiency.
The DHS Insider Threat and Mitigation Act of 2017 would require the agency secretary to set up a "holistic" insider threat program within the department within a year of the legislation's passage. The bill calls for that program to include insider threat identification and mitigation training, as well as investigative support to track down insider threats when they are detected.
Other notable technology and cybersecurity-related legislation in the package:
The DHS Acquisition Documentation Integrity Act would require the secretary to request component heads to maintain specific types of acquisition documentation. That documentation would include complete lifecycle cost estimates with supporting documentation, as well as verification of those lifecycle estimates against independent cost estimates; a cost-benefit analysis with supporting documentation; and a schedule, including an integrated master schedule.
The Border Security Technology Accountability Act of 2017 would strengthen accountability for deployment of border security technology at DHS. The legislation would ensure each border tech program has a written acquisition program baseline approved by the relevant acquisition decision authority, as well as documentation verifying that each program is meeting cost, schedule and performance thresholds and complies with the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
The Cyber Preparedness Act of 2017 would enhance preparedness and response capabilities for cyber attacks and bolsters the sharing of information related to cyber threats.
The United States-Israel Cybersecurity Cooperation Enhancement Act of 2017 would set up a DHS grant program to promote cooperative cybersecurity research and development between the U.S. and Israel.