Mrvan wins House approval for plan to improve cybersecurity at veterans agency

U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan, D-Highland, is a big step closer to ensuring military veterans in Indiana, and across the United States, never again see their personal information compromised because of lax cybersecurity at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

The Democratic-controlled House voted 381-39 on Thursday in favor of legislation to require the VA obtain an independent cybersecurity assessment of its most critical information systems, as well as its cybersecurity posture as a whole.

The measure, House Bill 7299, also requires the VA to develop a timeline and budget to fix any weaknesses and deficiencies identified by the report.

All 39 "no" votes came from Republicans. However, every Republican representing Indiana in the House supported the measure except U.S. Rep. Greg Pence, R-Columbus, who was absent.

It now goes to the Democratic-controlled Senate for a decision on advancing the plan to Democratic President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

"We must continue to work to ensure that the VA has the tools it needs to effectively protect against new and emerging cybersecurity threats and safeguard our veterans' information," Mrvan said.

If enacted, the plan would require the VA implement measures to block advanced cybersecurity threats, ransomware, denial of service attacks, insider threats, threats from foreign actors, phishing, credential theft and other cyber threats.

It also mandates all VA information technology services are covered, including on-premises, remote, cloud-based and mobile information systems, along with devices used by, or in support of, VA activities.

In addition, the VA secretary would have to submit a detailed implementation plan to Congress within 120 days of the independent assessment that the Government Accountability Office then will review to determine if the cost estimates and timelines are realistic.

Mrvan's proposal, the Strengthening VA Cybersecurity Act of 2022, was co-sponsored by U.S. Reps. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y.; Susie Lee, D-Nev.; Nancy Mace, R-S.C.; Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif.; Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.; and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-Washington, D.C.

"I look forward to continuing to collaborate with all of my colleagues to move this commonsense and bipartisan legislation forward," Mrvan said.

Mrvan is a member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee for the 117th Congress and chairman of the panel's Subcommittee on Technology Modernization.

He was reelected earlier this month to a second two-year term representing Lake, Porter and northwest LaPorte counties in the U.S. House.