The U.S. Senate could vote on long-in-development cybersecurity bills as early as the end of next week, according to Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), The Hill reported. Lieberman is the cosposnor of what’s seen as the leading cybersecurity bill in the Senate, The Cybersecurity Act of 2012, which, like other cybersecurity bills considered and one passed in the House, would enable private companies and federal intelligence agencies like the NSA to share information they have about suspected cyber threats with one another, information that could include personal information of Web users.
Lieberman told The Hill that he will introduce a revised version that is likely to include changes proposed by his colleagues Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) to narrow the definitions of what would impose cyber security requirements on so-called “critical infrastructure” systems, such as power plants and water treatment systems, which the White House seeks. Another bill passed by the House in April, CISPA, has not been introduced to the Senate, but a similar bill has been proposed by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). Both the House and Senate need to pass legislation and the President needs to sign it for it to become law.
