Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2012
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2012 - Authorizes private entities to monitor information systems for cybersecurity threats and operate countermeasures for protection, including the information systems of third parties authorizing such measures.
Allows private entities to disclose lawfully obtained cybersecurity threat indicators to any other private entity, provided that the entities: (1) make efforts to safeguard information that can be used to identify specific persons, (2) comply with lawful use or disclosure restrictions, (3) not use the indicators to gain an unfair competitive advantage, and (4) use the indicators only for the purpose of protecting against or mitigating cybersecurity threats.
Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish processes and procedures for: (1) designating appropriate federal and non-federal entities as cybersecurity exchanges, (2) sharing classified and unclassified cybersecurity threat information with designated cybersecurity exchanges and other appropriate entities, and (3) identifying certified entities to receive such classified information.
Directs the Secretary to designate a federal entity as the lead cybersecurity exchange for cybersecurity information sharing among federal entities and with non-federal entities.
Allows a non-federal entity to disclose lawfully obtained cybersecurity threat information to an exchange.
Requires the Secretary to develop policies and procedures that govern a federal entity's receipt, retention, use, and disclosure of cybersecurity threat information in a manner that minimizes the impact on privacy and civil liberties. Directs: (1) the Secretary and the Attorney General (DOJ) to establish a mandatory program to oversee compliance with such policies and procedures, and (2) the heads of federal entities to develop and enforce appropriate sanctions for officers, employees, or agents of the federal entities who conduct prohibited activities.
Provides legal protections for entities engaged in cybersecurity monitoring activities, including a good faith defense.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on February 13, 2012. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on February 13, 2012: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 112th Congress (2011-12), 283 of the 10,618 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced it on February 13, 2012, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Democrat.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on February 13, 2012, 5323 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 5323 days ago, on February 13, 2012.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 112th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2013 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers