House Intel chief says cyber-sharing bill will pass ‘overwhelmingly’

The chairman of the House Intelligence committee is confident that a beleaguered cybersecurity information-sharing bill will eventually clear the Senate.

“I think it will pass overwhelmingly in the Senate once they get through all their amendments,” Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) told attendees at a Washington Post cybersecurity event in D.C.

The House passed complementary legislation in April, but the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) has been stymied by privacy concerns in the Senate.

{mosads}Lawmakers negotiated a wide-ranging package of 21 amendments before recess, but the legislation has yet to see floor time during a packed fall calendar.

Observers say that leadership is working on a deal to cut down on a list of amendments scheduled for debate. A few contentious additions are apparently slowing negotiations.

Nunes, who sponsored the House legislation, is echoing widely held expectations for the bill. 

Observers anticipate that if CISA gets to the floor, it will pass by a large margin. Lawmakers have faced intense pressure to move on some kind of legislation to address the bombardment of cyber intrusions on U.S. networks. 

The Senate Intelligence Committee passed the bill 14-1 during a March markup.

If the bill does pass the upper chamber, Nunes suggested that the House and Senate would be “very close to an agreement” when it goes to conference.

“I don’t have a problem with the length of time that it’s taken [to pass information-sharing legislation] because I think we’ve done a judicial job of trying to get it right,” Nunes said. “Now, if we don’t get something done this year, I think both [Intelligence ranking member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)] and I would have a real problem with it.”