House advances cybersecurity bill

The House on Thursday afternoon approved a rule allowing it to consider the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, H.R. 3523, which it will likely finish Friday afternoon.

Members approved the rule in a 236-185 vote after debate that showed Democrats are growing unhappy with the bill, in part due to the Obama administration's threat on Wednesday to veto the bill.

The Obama administration argued Wednesday that the bill, which allows companies to share cyber threat information, does not do enough to protect the privacy of consumers. Democrats mirrored this point as they debated the rule.

"This bill in its current form … is an unprecedented, sweeping piece of legislation that would waive every single privacy law ever enacted in the name of cybersecurity," Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) said.

But Republicans disagreed that privacy is an issue.

"The bill includes significant safeguards to protect personal and private information," Rep. Rich Nugent (R-Fla.) said. "It significantly limits the federal government's use of that information that the private companies voluntarily provide, including the government's authority to search data."

The rule also allows the House to take up a GOP bill extending a low interest rate on federally subsidized student loans, a bill that is also expected to pass on Friday.

On the concept of approving one rule for the two vastly different and controversial bills, Nugent quipped, "Sometimes this House has to multi-task, Mr. Speaker."

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