HR 2219 – Senate Language Changes – DOD Appropriations

Well, I finally had a chance to review the Senate substitute language for HR 2219, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2012. While there are wholesale changes in the Senate language they have no appreciable effect on the cyber security provisions of the bill because there were no such provisions in the House language and there are none in the Senate language. Cyber security still remains a miniscule part of the DOD budget.

The cyber security provisions from the House Report on the bill that I discussed in an earlier blog will still apply to DOD, almost regardless of what happens on the Senate floor or in Conference. The various reports to Congress will still have to be made unless DOD wants to incur the wrath of an Appropriations Committee scorned. Fortunately for DOD there are no additional cyber security reports required in the Senate Report on this bill.

We'll see what happens when this comes to the Senate Floor.