This week, a Republican congressman from Florida paired up with U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-NY, the chairwoman of the U.S. House Small Business Committee, on a bill “creating proactive partnerships between small businesses and the federal government to help protect small businesses from criminal cyber-attacks.”
On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., introduced the “Small Business Advanced Cybersecurity Enhancements Act” which “establishes a federal development center for data information sharing to equip small firms with the necessary resources and strategies to prevent criminal cyber-attacks” and which “also expands liability protections for participating small businesses that engage with the federal government in good faith.”
Donalds weighed in on why he introduced the proposal.
“The rise in criminal cyber-attacks occurring across the country is deeply concerning. A partnership between the federal government and American’s small businesses based upon information sharing is critical to ensure the data protection of consumers, while also providing the necessary resources for these small firms to compete in a multi-faceted global economy,” said Donalds on Tuesday. “This bill encourages small businesses to engage and interact with the federal government to increase transparency, establish collaborative partnerships, and to ultimately provide additional security measures to potentially vulnerable small businesses.”
“With the risk of cyber-attacks rising every day, proactive collaboration and information sharing between the federal government and business is critical to protecting against malicious cyber actors,” said Velázquez. “Unfortunately, small businesses often lack the resources needed to develop adequate cybersecurity strategies and are reluctant to report cyber threats to the federal government. This bill will encourage collaboration and information sharing between small businesses and the federal government, helping to protect small firms that are vulnerable to cyber-attacks.”
Other backers include U.S. Reps. Steve Chabbot, R-Ohio, and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Penn.
The bill was sent to the House Small Business Committee. So far, there is no companion measure over in the U.S. Senate.
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com.
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