Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, issued the following statement after the Committee voted favorably to approve the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2022, as well as several other bills to improve federal government operations and hiring practices:
“Cyberattacks are now a tool of choice for America’s geopolitical adversaries like Russia and China. After an onslaught of high-profile cyberattacks that threatened and compromised the networks of our federal agencies, it’s imperative that we reform our federal cybersecurity practices with the most advanced protections possible,” said Chairwoman Maloney. “Today, I am proud to report that the Committee approved the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2022 to improve the cyber resilience and security of our federal agencies. Cybersecurity is not only a bipartisan issue, it’s an urgent matter of national security, and I will work to get this bill to the President’s desk as soon as possible.”
Bolstering Federal Government Cybersecurity
Introduced by Chairwoman Maloney and Ranking Member James Comer, the bipartisan Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2022 modernizes and strengthens the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), which has not been updated since 2014. Specifically, FISMA 2022 would:
- Clarify and streamline the roles of the National Cyber Director, the Office of Management and Budget, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Federal Chief Information Security Officer, and other federal entities to better coordinate efforts to prevent, mitigate, and respond to cyber incidents.
- Improve detection and reporting of cyberattacks through continuous monitoring of federal systems, new supply chain transparency requirements, and requiring federal agencies to report major incidents affecting their data and information systems within 72 hours.
- Promote cybersecurity modernization and next-generation security principles to meet the challenges of evolving cyber threats.
The Committee also approved the Supply Chain Security Training Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by Rep. Joe Neguse and Rep. Scott Franklin. Following the SolarWinds cyberattack, the bill requires the General Services Administration to establish a training program to better identify and mitigate supply chain security risks in the products and services the federal government acquires.
Improving Federal Government Operations and Hiring Practices
The Committee approved the Fair Chance Improvement Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Nancy Mace. The bill makes a technical change to the Fair Chance Act, passed by Congress in 2019, which prohibits the federal government and federal contractors from asking a potential employee about their criminal history before an offer of employment is made. The Fair Chance Improvement Act transfers enforcement authority for federal contractors to the Department of Labor, which is currently the lead agency that oversees federal contractor compliance and better equipped to carry out this authority.
The Committee also approved the GAO Mandates Revision Act of 2022, introduced by Rep. Shontel Brown and cosponsored by Rep. Fred Keller. The bill would modify existing legislative mandates for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to perform financial statement audits or reviews of several agencies. By eliminating these reports GAO will be able to redirect their limited resources to higher priorities.
Read more at the House Oversight and Reform Committee
