House Homeland Security panel approves creating cyber agency within DHS

The House Homeland Security Committee today approved with overwhelming bipartisan support legislation to create a cybersecurity agency within the Department of Homeland Security, which would be tasked with mitigating cyber risks for the government and key industry sectors, including telecommunications and electricity utilities.

The legislation, H.R. 3359, was introduced by Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and ranking Bennie Thompson (D-MS) to reorganize the DHS' National Protect and Programs Directorate into the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which would assume existing...