U.S. Reps. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas) and Charles A. Gonzales (D-Texas) have introduced H.Con.Res. 193, a bipartisan resolution which expresses the sense of Congress for the need to pass meaningful legislation to protect commercial and government data from data breaches.

“The safety of millions of American is put at risk because of the potential of unknown risk within the nation’s data network,” Congressman Burgess (TX-26) said. “It’s time Congress got serious about enacting meaningful legislation that would put into place needed safeguards and protections to ensure cybersecurity for our nation’s information infrastructure.”

"Protecting our nation ‘against all enemies, foreign and domestic,’ is part of the oath that every Member of Congress, federal agency head, and military officer takes, and I am proud that San Antonio is home to the Twenty-Fourth Air Force who are responsible for cyber warfare in the Department of Defense," said Congressman Gonzalez (TX-20). "But keeping our data, private as well as government, safe requires the efforts of all branches of government. H.Con.Res. 193 calls on the Congress to do our part in passing strong legislation to protect us on this new front and calls on the leaders across our government to take action to ensure that no enemy ever turns the Internet against the United States."

“It’s time for Congress to approve legislation that will hold both government and the private sector accountable for the security of sensitive consumer data in their possession,” said Bill Conner, CEO of Entrust Inc. “It’s in the absolute best interest of this country’s citizens that Congress passes current cybersecurity legislation. Too many innocent victims have suffered as pending regulations sit idle awaiting action, approval or support.”

The resolution states that over 261 million records have been subject to a data breach in the U.S. since January 2005, and almost 10 million adults in the U.S. were victims of identity fraud in 2008. The resolution also states that data breaches occur in a wide rage of institutions, including government, military, education, health care companies, banking, and credit and financial services.

What the bill does
Among other things, H.Con.Res. 193 expresses the sense of Congress that:

• the House and Senate enact into law a meaningful national standard to protect commercial and government data
• requires leadership at the top levels of an organization to take an active role in ensuring that their systems are secure
• requires that sensitive data be protected through meaningful encryption technology
• encourages leaders of government agencies and private enterprises to actively manage and rigorously protect the data collected and stored within their institution by making data security a priority within the institution.

Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D., is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and three of its subcommittees: Health, Energy & Environment, and Oversight & Investigations. He is also a member of the bipartisan, bicameral Joint Economic Committee. Prior to becoming a member of Congress in 2002, Congressman Burgess practiced medicine in North Texas for over 25 years.