Rep. Robin Kelly, ranking member of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Information Technology, hosted a field hearing in Chicago on Monday, June 20, to hear views from business leaders on how effectively federal cyber laws and regulations have been working since the enactment of the landmark Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015.
Joining Kelly was Subcommittee Chairman Will Hurd (R-Texas) and Rep. Bob Dold (R-Ill.).
“Serious issues identified at the hearing could become part of the President’s Cybersecurity National Action Plan, which was created to strengthen cybersecurity in both the public and private sectors over the next decade,” explained Kelly, who represents Homewood and Flossmoor in Congress.
The 2015 law provides the private sector and federal government with a more effective framework to share cybersecurity information to better respond to cyber threats. It was enacted in response to the rising frequency of large-scale cyber attacks, including data breaches at the Office of Personnel Management and sophisticated companies like Anthem, Sony Pictures, Target and Home Depot.
“I wanted to learn from our business leaders here in the Chicago area what they believe the federal government can do to help them keep sensitive data and networks safe,” the congresswoman said. With what she learned through testimony, Kelly said she will return to Washington “with a better picture of what works, what doesn’t work and where we need to improve.”
Witnesses providing testimony on Monday included Professor Eunice Santos, chair of the Department of Computer Science at the Illinois Institute of Technology, who is widely viewed as a leading academic expert in the field of computer science and cybersecurity.
Also testifying were Gary Horn, vice president, technical services and CTO for Advocate Health Care; Patty Hatter, vice president, Intel Security Group and general manager, Intel Security Professional Services; and Michael Carano, executive director of ChicagoFIRST.