Lieberman warns July is deadline for cybersecurity bill

By Brendan Sasso - 06/13/12 04:41 PM ET

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) urged the Senate to pass his cybersecurity bill in a floor speech on Wednesday, warning that July could be the final opportunity to address the issue.

He predicted that the lame-duck session following the election will be consumed by budget and tax issues.

"The truth is, if we don't take it up in July and see if we've got the votes … we're not going to be able to pass this legislation in a way that's timely and allows us to go to conference, reach an agreement and send the bill to the president," Lieberman said.

Lieberman's bill, which is co-sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), would encourage private companies to share information about cyber threats with one another and with the government. The bill would also empower the Homeland Security Department to set minimum cybersecurity standards for critical infrastructure systems, such as electrical grids and gas pipelines.

Supporters of the legislation, including the White House, say the mandatory standards are necessary to protect vital systems from attack.

In his speech on Wednesday, Lieberman entered into the record a letter from a bipartisan group of former national security officials calling for critical infrastructure protections. The officials warned that without the protections, the nation is at risk of suffering a "cyber 9/11."

But many Republicans, including Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), argue the mandates would unnecessarily burden businesses. They say the government should only enable the private sector to protects its systems, and not dictate which security measures to take.

Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) are working on a compromise proposal that would pressure, but not force, critical infrastructure companies to better protect their systems.

In April, the House passed its own cybersecurity bill, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), which focuses only on voluntary information-sharing and would not mandate any security standards.

In his speech, Lieberman congratulated the House for taking "some initial good steps," but argued that the critical infrastructure protections must be included in the legislation that ultimately becomes law.

He thanked Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who gave his own speech on the Senate floor on Tuesday stressing his support for Lieberman's bill. Lieberman said that Reid has assured him the bill will come up for a vote in July, and he predicted that the bill will have the votes to clear the chamber.

Lieberman has said the cybersecurity bill is his top legislative priority before he retires at the end of the year.