Industry Groups Call on Congress to Renew Critical Cybersecurity Law Before September 30 Expiration

A coalition of 13 leading trade associations representing all sectors of the U.S. economy called on Congress to extend the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act before its September 30 expiration date. The groups warned that failing to do so would impede public-private sector coordination during cyberattacks and weaken the nation’s cyber defenses amid escalating global threats.

“The current cyber threat landscape highlights the need for consistent public-private collaboration—of which information sharing is a central component,” the coalition wrote. “Without the protections codified by this statute, businesses may be less willing to share cyber threat information for fear of legal exposure. Any chilling effect on this information exchange directly benefits the nation-state attackers and cybercriminals seeking to degrade U.S. economic and national security interests.”

The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act was enacted over a decade ago in response to a breach at the Office of Personnel Management. Attacks on both the public and private sector continue, with several recent examples such as SolarWinds, BeyondTrust and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency email compromise serving as a stark reminder of why renewing this law is so vital to America’s cybersecurity readiness.

The law creates a voluntary framework for the private sector and government agencies to share cyber threat information while ensuring data-sharing is secure and complies with strict privacy safeguards. The law also enacts important antitrust and liability protections for companies to share actionable threat indicators.

Signatories on the letter include the Alliance for Digital Innovation, American Bankers Association, American Public Power Association, Bank Policy Institute, Business Roundtable, Business Software Alliance, Edison Electric Institute, Independent Community Bankers of America, Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), Institute of International Bankers, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Operational Technology Cybersecurity Coalition and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.

Legislation to renew the law, led by Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), passed out of the House Committee on Homeland Security on Wednesday by a unanimous vote of 25-0.