House Passes HR 3202 – DHS Vulnerability Reporting

This afternoon the House passed HR 3202, the Cyber Vulnerability Disclosure Reporting Act, by a voice vote. There were only 12 minutes of debate and no amendments were authorized from the floor. The bill would require an unclassified report to Congress on procedures that DHS has developed with regards to vulnerability disclosures.

While it is currently unclear whether or not the Senate will take up the bill, it would most likely be considered under the Senate’s unanimous consent process which would involve even less debate and no provision for amendments.

NOTE: This bill gives lie to the current picture of the House as a strictly partisan body. The bill was introduced by Rep. Jackson-Lee (D,TX) with no Republican co-sponsors. The bill moved relatively quickly through the Homeland Security Committee and then to the floor of the House. This could only happen if the Democrat, Ms Jackson-Lee, had the explicit support of her Republican Committee Chair.