Vote Explanation for H. R. 1560

Today the House voted on the Protecting Cyber Networks Act, H.R. 1560. I voted against this bill, which passed the House by a vote of 307–116.

The intent of H.R. 1560 is to encourage sharing of cyber threat information between the government and private companies to help both sides detect, deter, and ultimately prevent future cyber attacks against our country’s critical infrastructure, financial institutions, and businesses. I understand and appreciate the need to share this information, but only if those efforts are narrow in scope and adequately preserve Americans’ right to privacy.

I opposed H.R. 1560 because it does not adequately prevent the sharing of personal information from those who may not actually be associated with a particular cyber threat. This bill will also allow information shared with the government to be used by the criminal and intelligence communities for investigations that have nothing to do with cyber security. Information collected by the federal government for cyber security purposes should be used for just that.

I am committed to bringing transparency to our country’s intelligence community and how it collects, stores, and uses information on U.S. citizens. In the coming months, Congress will have an opportunity to debate the re-authorization of the PATRIOT Act, which expires in June. I support comprehensive reform that protects our civil liberties and reins in our government’s intelligence collection activities.