Bennet Applauds Senate Passage of the Strengthening American Cybersecurity Act

Bill Strengthens the Ability to Combat Cybersecurity Threats Against Critical Infrastructure and the Federal Government

Washington, D.C. – Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, applauded passage of the Strengthening American Cybersecurity Act of 2022, which would require critical infrastructure owners and operators to report to the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) within 72 hours if they are experiencing a substantial cyber-attack, and within 24 hours if they make a ransomware payment. The bill also includes several other reforms to strengthen cybersecurity across the federal government.

“Putin’s lawless war in Ukraine reinforces the growing risk of cyber threats here at home,” said Bennet. “Our common-sense, bipartisan bill would strengthen cybersecurity across the federal government and strengthen our ability to identify and respond to cyberattacks against critical American infrastructure. I’m very pleased the Senate passed it last night, and I urge the House to send it to President Biden’s desk without delay.”

The bill would also update current federal cybersecurity laws to improve coordination between federal agencies, as well as require all federal civilian agencies to report all substantial cyberattacks to CISA. In addition, the bill would provide new authorities to CISA and authorize the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) for five years to ensure federal agencies can quickly and securely adopt cloud-based technologies that improve government efficiency and save taxpayer dollars.