A new bipartisan bill, the Streamlining Federal Cybersecurity Regulations Act, introduced by Senators Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.), aims to harmonize the patchwork of U.S. cybersecurity regulations. The idea is to create an interagency committee to identify and reduce overly burdensome, inconsistent, or contradictory cyber requirements.
The bill’s introduction, a culmination of a Senate hearing where Nicholas Leiserson, the Assistant National Cyber Director for Cyber Policy and Programs, underscored the increasing fragmentation of cybersecurity regulations. He emphasized the crucial role of leadership from the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) and Congress, guided by the invaluable insights of the private sector, in addressing this issue.
Senators Peters and Lankford acknowledged these concerns, emphasizing the need for coordinated rulemaking. “There are independent agencies that feel like they’re independent from everybody. They’re not independent from everybody,” Lankford remarked, underscoring the necessity of establishing boundaries and fostering collaboration among federal entities.
The proposed committee would work to streamline cyber regulations, ensuring minimum standards and reciprocity among agencies. The focus is on the quality and consistency of laws over a sheer quantity of overlapping rules.
The bill introduces a pilot program to validate the effectiveness of the new regulatory framework and mandates annual reports on the committee’s progress. This initiative is designed to foster a more coherent and manageable regulatory environment, bolstering overall cybersecurity without burdening companies with unnecessary regulations.
The Streamlining Federal Cybersecurity Regulations Act represents a critical step towards smart cybersecurity regulation.