Rep. Nancy Mace on the Passage of The Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act

Washington D.C. – Yesterday the House of Representatives passed “The Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act.” Rep. Mace released the following statement about the passage of her legislation:

“Quantum computing is the next frontier in technology; it will take our civilization forward in leaps and bounds. In many ways, it will turn our conventional understanding of computing on its head,” said Rep. Mace. “But like all great leaps in technology, there are those that will use it for sinister and nefarious reasons. My bill instructs the Federal government to take the necessary steps to protect our nation’s sensitive information from those who wish to do us harm using this emerging technology.”  

Rep. Khanna shared his thoughts on the legislation:

“It’s not just our personal lives that would be upended in a post-quantum future. Our U.S. national security and government agencies data could be exposed and exploited as well,” said Rep. Khanna. “I’m thrilled that the House has passed my bipartisan bill with Reps. Connolly and Mace to proactively protect consumer data and strengthen our national security. Next, I hope that the Senate will swiftly take up the bill and deliver it to the president’s desk.” said Rep. Khanna. 

Rep. Connolly also shared his thoughts:

“As Chair of the Government Operations Subcommittee, I know it is unacceptable for federal IT systems to constantly play catch up to meet the moment. Instead we must be forward thinking to ensure we are an enterprise that guarantees security, builds trust, and improves customer service. Passage of this bill lets us do just that, and I look forward to my colleague’s support in the Senate,” said Rep. Connolly. 

The Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act would:

• Require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in consultation with the Chief Information Officers Council to prioritize the migration to post-quantum cryptography and do an assessment of critical systems one year after the NIST standards are issued.

• Instruct the director of OMB to send a report to Congress that includes a strategy on how to address this risk, the funding that might be necessary, and an analysis on the current efforts one year after the bill becomes law. 

•  Direct OMB to provide a yearly report to Congress on the progress of the Federal Government in transitioning to post-quantum cryptography standards one year after the NIST standards are issued. 

Text of the House bill can be found here.