House Homeland Security Panel OKs Bill Reorganizing NPPD, Raising Cyber as Priority

Legislation that would reorganize the Department of Homeland Security and raise the role of its cybersecurity branch was passed via voice vote by the House Homeland Security Committee during a markup Wednesday. HR-3359, which Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and ranking member Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., introduced Monday, would redesignate the National Protection and Programs Directorate as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to be comprised of the cybersecurity, infrastructure security and emergency communications divisions. McCaul said the NPPD realignment is a "major step forward," making the agency "more streamlined and effective," and will "prioritize the cyber mission within the department." Similar legislation last year advanced through the committee but was never considered on the House floor, and McCaul earlier this year signaled reintroduction (see 1704270029 and 1705240033). The committee also advanced a substitute amendment to HR-2626, sponsored by Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, that would use facial recognition and other biometric technology to screen travelers at U.S. ports of entry. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Texas, sponsored an amendment, which was approved, to HR-2626 that requires Customs and Border Protection to provide a report on facial recognition data collected and how it's used to ensure privacy remains at the forefront. Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragan, D-Calif., sponsored an amendment, which was approved, that social media screening of visa applicants be undertaken only for individuals considered high risk, and not be based on their residency and citizenship alone. The committee also approved HR-3202, sponsored by Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Texas, that would require the DHS secretary to provide a report on the policies and procedures developed for coordinating cyber vulnerability disclosures and instances in which they were used to reveal such vulnerabilities by industry and other stakeholders.