White House pushes for stalled cybersecurity bill

01.08.2012
It's urgent for the U.S. Senate to pass a cybersecurity bill now stalled because of opposition from several lawmakers, officials from the U.S. White House said Wednesday.

Four White House officials called on the Senate to pass the , a bill that would create a new mechanism for businesses to share cyberthreat information with each other and with government agencies.

The bill would also create a new intra-agency council to work with private companies to develop cybersecurity standards that businesses could voluntarily adopt. The bill would offer incentives to companies that volunteer for cybersecurity programs, including protection from lawsuits related to cyberincidents and increased help and information on cybersecurity issues from U.S. agencies.

It's "imperative" for the Senate to pass comprehensive cybersecurity legislature, John Brennan, assistant to President Barack Obama for homeland security and counterterrorism, said during a press briefing. The bill would give cybersecurity professional the "tools they need to deal with this increasingly sophisticated and pervasive threat," he added.

The Cybersecurity Act is held up in the Senate over disagreements over what amendments should be allowed to the bill. Several Republicans have opposed the bill, sponsored by Senators Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut Independent, Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, and three Democrats.

The bill would hand too much authority to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican, .