S 2629 Reported in Senate - Cybercrime Reporting

Earlier this week the Senate Judiciary Committee reported S 2629, the Better Cybercrime Metrics Act favorably without a written report. The Committee met on November 18^th, 2021, to consider the bill and ordered it reported at that time without amendment. The bill is now cleared for possible consideration by the full Senate.

The bill would require DOJ to establish a taxonomy for classifying cybercrime in the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) and would require the reporting of cybercrimes according to that taxonomy. The bill provides for $1 million to support the development of the taxonomy, including a study on the topic by the National Academy of Sciences. It would have no effect on cybercrime reporting by victims.

Reporting a bill without a written report is usually an indication that an effort is going to be made to bring the bill to the floor for consideration. With the strong bipartisan support seen for this bill in Committee, it is possible that the bill could be offered under the Senate’s unanimous consent process.