Former Governor Supports Rogers Cybersecurity BillFormer Governor Supports Rogers Cybersecurity Bill

2/15/13 - Former Michigan Gov. John Engler is supporting cybersecurity legislation sponsored by Congressman Mike Rogers. Engler is the president of the Business Roundtable, an association of chief executives, and said CEO’s are united in their efforts to fight cyberthreats. The three-term governor added that the nature of the threats could range from the merely embarrassing all the way to financial chaos with implications for the broader economy. Engler appeared before the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday in support of cybersecurity legislation co-sponsored by Rogers, who chairs the intelligence committee. The Brighton Republican reintroduced his Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act this week along with the committee's Democratic leader, Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger of Maryland. Rogers bill passed the House last April but ran into stiff opposition from civil libertarians who expressed concerns about provisions violating individuals' privacy. In addition, the White House preferred a Senate version that would have given the Department of Homeland Security responsibility for setting cybersecurity standards. The legislation allows the federal government to provide classified cyberthreat information to companies and encourage businesses to voluntarily and anonymously share cyberthreats with the government and private sector. (JK)