Dim Prospects for Cybersecurity Law in 2011

Evaluating the State of Infosec Legislation in Congress

Are you old enough to remember Saturday morning cartoons like School House Rock? Last weekend, I watched the segment of this educational cartoon on how a bill becomes a law with my sons, and then we discussed how difficult it is for a bill to become a law.

As the jingle explains, "I'm just a bill, on Capitol Hill. I will remain a bill until they decide to make me a law."

Earlier in the summer, my children sat in the gallery as I testified before the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Security Technologies. Even better than the School House Rock episode, they received a civic lesson by watching their mom. Recently they asked me, 'When will we get legislation? Will one of these bills become a law?' The explanation wasn't as easy as the cartoon gives.

As the 112th Congress returned from summer recess, I tallied up all of the pending cybersecurity bills. The number is 32, excluding the intelligence and defense authorization bills....

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