Legislative Histories of Cybersecurity Laws Enacted by the 113th and 114th Congresses

January is Data Privacy and Information Security Law Month at the Harris County Law Library. All month long, we are promoting the data privacy resources in our collection to raise awareness of the need for data security in the practice of law. We are also featuring relevant electronic sources, including the Cybersecurity Law Institute at Georgetown University, and the Cybersecurity Law Report, both of which are freely available on the Internet.

The Law Library's subscription databases provide access to even more good resources, including legislative histories of key cybersecurity laws. HeinOnline has just added several new cybersecurity law resources to its U.S. Federal Legislative History Library. The new collection, Legislative Histories of Cybersecurity Laws Enacted by the 113th and 114th Congresses (William H. Manz, ed.) (2016)  is a compilation of eight laws enacted in 2014 and 2015 including: 

  • Cybersecurity Workforce Assessment Act
  • Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014
  • National Cybersecurity Protection Act of 2014
  • Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014

Four additional Acts grouped into the Cybersecurity Act of 2015 are also part of the compilation. The legislative histories include the text and chronology of the Acts, bill versions, related bills, committee reports, congressional debates and hearings, GAO reports, and presidential materials. 

To access these legislative histories and a world of other content, visit the Law Library or access HeinOnline on your mobile device.

Featured Podcast: And Justice for Some -- Lost Without Translation

A previous post on Ex Libris Juris called attention to the need for qualified interpreters in U.S. courts. (Texas outlines its policies on language access in the courts on the Texas Judicial Branch website.) This issue is getting more attention as the shortage of licensed court interpreters, particularly those who speak an indigenous language, is becoming more of a concern. The State Bar of Texas Access to Justice Commission recently reported on the issue and included legislative history to explain the development of laws that provide translation services for people with Limited English Proficiency. Last week's episode of the Reveal podcast, a project of The Center for Investigative Reporting, covered the story in a program called And Justice for Some. This program details the courtroom experience of an Alabama mother who speaks Mixteco, a language spoken by 750,000 people in Mexico, but by precious few in the United States, especially in U.S. courtrooms. The implications of not having access to a qualified interpreter are great. This podcast explores these implications and calls for better access to justice in U.S. courts, especially with respect to translation services for foreign language speakers.