U.S. House of Representatives Passes Companion Legislation to Bipartisan Hassan-Portman Bill Bolstering “Cyber Hunt and Incident Response Teams”

WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives passed yesterday companion legislation to the bipartisan Hassan-Portman Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cyber Hunt and Incident Response Teams Act.

The bill, introduced by Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) would bolster cybersecurity by requiring DHS to make permanent the “cyber hunt” and “cyber incident response” teams that work to help prevent cyberattacks on federal agencies and the private sector, and help mitigate the impact of such attacks when they occur.

“I am pleased that the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve companion legislation to our bipartisan bill that will help prevent and mitigate cyber attacks that threaten the safety, security, and privacy of Granite Staters and Americans,” Senator Hassan said. “I urge the Senate to vote on this commonsense legislation as soon as possible to help strengthen our country’s cyber defenses.”

“Our cyber response teams play an important role in protecting against cyber threats, reducing cybersecurity risks, and helping to get our cyber infrastructure back up and running after an attack occurs,” Senator Portman said. “I am glad the House passed the companion to our bipartisan legislation and I urge the full Senate to act on this bill quickly to strengthen our response efforts in the event of a cyberattack.” 

Earlier this year, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted to approve the bipartisan Hassan-Portman Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cyber Hunt and Incident Response Teams Act.

###