WASHINGTON — The Senate passed the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act of 2017 Wednesday, a bill that would rename the Department of Homeland Security’s National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and streamline its functions. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has led the Senate effort. The committee approved the reorganization in March 2018.
“It is ridiculous that DHS needs an act of Congress to rename and reorganize an agency wholly within its jurisdiction. Nevertheless, I am glad the Senate passed the CISA bill to help the agency recruit talent and focus its efforts on protecting the homeland from cyber-attacks.”
H.R. 3359 was passed by the Senate as modified by a Johnson substitute amendment here and Murkowski amendment here.
Background:
The National Protection and Programs Directorate was first established in 2007 within the Department of Homeland Security. The mission of NPPD is to reduce and eliminate threats to the nation’s cyber and physical infrastructure. The House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 3359, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Act of 2017, in December 2017. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee passed a similar provision as part of a larger DHS authorization (H.R. 2825) effort in March 2018.
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