Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., has presented two bills to bolster U.S. cybersecurity through economic planning, technical support and state-level response. The Continuity of Economy Act of 2020 would task the president to work with certain federal agencies on the formation of a strategy to guide economic protection during a serious cyber attack, Peters' office said Friday.
The bill would also call for a response and recovery framework for use in the case of such a crisis, and identify industry and government entities that are significant to maintaining U.S. economic activity. Peters built the bill on recommendations issued by the Cyber Solarium Commission.
The second bill, known as the National Guard Cyber Interoperability Act, would grant the National Guard authority and resources to support cybersecurity operations during crises. This bill would allow the secretaries of the U.S. Air Force (USAF), the U.S. Army and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to launch cybersecurity pilot programs that involve National Guard forces.
“Cyber-attacks are one of the greatest threats to our national security and the United States is not sufficiently prepared to defend itself in cyberspace or recover from a significant cyber disruption,” Peters said. "These bills will help prepare our country to defend against and recover from serious attacks on our critical infrastructure – including our financial institutions, transportation infrastructure and health care facilities – that could cause severe disruption to our daily lives," he added.
