Review - HR 5412 Reported in House – FY 2022 Intel Authorization Act

Last month, the House Intelligence Committee published their report on HR 5412, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022. On September 30^th the Committee adopted substitute language for the bill and ordered it reported favorably. The revised language is now available. None of the changes made in the language deal with cybersecurity issues (there is one minor anti-drone provision added) and the report provides no intelligence community taskings of significance to corporate cybersecurity interests.

This bill is now cleared for consideration by the full House. The Majority Leader’s web site mention that the bill may come to the floor this week, but that is looking increasingly unlikely. It is more likely to be considered when the House comes back from their Veterans week recess in the week before Thanksgiving. The House is very likely to pass this bill with at least some bipartisan support.

For more details on the changes to HR 5412 and the Committee Report taskings, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/hr-5412-reported-in-house [link added 11-3-21, 22:39 EDT] - subscription required.

Review - HR 5412 Introduced – FY 2022 Intel Authorization

Last month, Rep Schiff (D,CA) introduced HR 5412, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022. This is one of the annual ‘must pass’ bills, it provides authorization for the activities of the various intelligence services within the federal government. There is one cybersecurity provision this year, and there is on cybersecurity mention in passing. Funding is authorized by this bill, but the amounts are included in a classified annex.

The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence amended and ordered this bill reported on the 30^th of September. Neither that report nor amended language have been forwarded to the GPO yet for publication. Once those are published, the House is expected to take up the bill. It will almost certainly pass. Even though the bill did pass in Committee by a voice vote, I will have to wait and see the Minority Views Section of the Committee Report before I will be willing to attempt to forecast how much bipartisan support it will receive.

For more details on the cybersecurity provision and mention in passing, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/hr-5412-introduced - subscription required.

Bills Introduced – 9-29-21

Yesterday, with both the House and Senate in session, there were 52 bills introduced. Two of those bills may receive additional coverage in this blog:

HR 5412 To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2022 for intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the United States Government, the Community Management Account, and the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System, and for other purposes. Rep. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA-28]

S 2902 A bill to modernize Federal information security management, and for other purposes. Sen. Peters, Gary [D-MI] 

I will be covering HR 5412.

The title for S 2902 is more vague than normal. If this is a cybersecurity bill, I will be watching for definitions and language that would include control system security within its coverage. If this bill addresses classified or sensitive but unclassified information protection, then I will be watching for language or definitions that would impact programs affecting chemical, transportation, or critical infrastructure information sharing processes.