releases: https://www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/videos?ContentRecord_id=c12bf6ae-c59b-4e50-8cbb-d961dcd169c8
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/videos?ContentRecord_id=c12bf6ae-c59b-4e50-8cbb-d961dcd169c8 | Heller Amendment Protects Americans Privacy and Liberty | 2015-10-22 | 2015 | 2015-10 | Republican | House | NV | Dean Heller | H001041 | www.heller.senate.gov | legacy | Offers Remarks on Senate Floor (Washington, DC) Today, U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) spoke on the Senate floor, urging his colleagues to support his commonsense amendment to the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 (S. 754). Hellers amendment holds the federal government accountable and strengthens the privacy protections in this legislation by raising the standard for removing Americans and Nevadans personally identifiable information prior to the federal government sharing with the private sector. Remarks as prepared: Mr. President, growing up in Nevada, I appreciate the values that make Nevadans distinctfiercely independent and as diverse as our terrain. But what never ceases to amaze me about Nevadans is our passion for protecting Americans privacy from the intrusion of the federal government. It is a value that is shared across the entire state, and one that I swore to uphold. But many Americans have lost faith that their government will uphold their civil liberties. So it is Congresss responsibility to ensure that every piece of legislation passed by this body protects the privacy and liberties of all Americans, and I will not accept attempts to diminish these non-negotiable rights. Mr. President, that is why I am on the floor today to continue protecting Americans and Nevadans privacy by pushing for my amendment to the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act. I commend my colleaguesChairman Burr and Ranking Member Feinsteinfor recognizing the need to address the serious issue of cybersecurity. As the Ranking Member of the Commerce Committees Consumer Protection Subcommittee last Congress, I delved into these issues and understand the impact of data breaches and cyber threats. Its an economic concern as well as a national security concern for our country. So I share the desire to find a path forward on information sharing between the federal government and the private sector as another tool in the cybersecurity toolbox. But these efforts cannot come at the expense of personal privacy. And the bill I see today does not do enough to ensure personally identifiable information is stripped out before being shared. That is why I have filed a simple fix. Lets strengthen the standard for stripping out this information. Right now, this bill says that the federal government only has to strip out personal information if they KNOW it is not directly related to a cyber threat. My amendment, #2548 as modified, would ensure that when personal information is being stripped out, it is because the entity reasonably believes it is not related to a cyber threat. This distinction creates a wider protection for personal information by ensuring these entities are making an effort to take out personal information thats not necessary. I am proud to have the support of Senators Leahy and Wyden, both great advocates in the Senate for privacy. However, Im disappointed my amendment was not included in the substitute amendment that we see today. The supporters of this bill talk about how this legislation upholds privacy, but couldnt accept a reasonable amendment that complements those privacy provisions. And our friends over in the House of Representatives already agree that the private sector should be held to this standard, which is why they included this language in the cybersecurity bill they passed. If this is good enough for the private sector, shouldnt it be good enough for the federal government? Furthermore, DHS has publicly acknowledged the importance of removing personally identifiable information because it will allow the information-sharing regime to function more efficiently. So what this comes down to, Mr. President, is our nations commitment to balancing the need for sharing cybersecurity information with the need to protect Americans personal information. Like many in the tech community have already publicly statedsecurity should not come at the expense of privacy. I believe my Amendment #2548 to hold the federal government accountable strikes that balance and hope that this simple fix can be incorporated into the bill. I encourage my colleagues to support this commonsense effort to strengthen this bill and keep our commitment to upholding the rights of U.S. citizens. I appreciate both Senators Burr and Feinsteins willingness to work with me on my amendment and look forward to continuing this debate. Thank you, Mr. President, I yield the floor. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |