U.S. House Judiciary Committee Advances Spanberger's Bipartisan Legislation to Combat Cybercrime

Press Release

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee today voted to pass U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger's bipartisan, bicameral bill to improve the federal government's understanding, measurement, and tracking of cybercrime. After clearing this milestone, her legislation now advances to the U.S. House floor for further consideration.

Recent reporting indicates that cyber and cyber-enabled crimes continue to rise at an alarming rate -- including due to the emergence of scams related to the COVID-19 pandemic, creating billions of dollars of financial losses in addition to serious safety and personal consequences. However, the federal government currently lacks an effective system to measure cybercrime. In 2018, a nonpartisan study from Gallup found that nearly one in four U.S. households were a victim of cybercrime -- making it the most common crime in America. However, the large majority of these crimes are not properly reported or tracked -- and in many cases, these incidents are not measured at all. By some estimates, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) only collects about one in 90 of all cybercrime incidents in its Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) database.

Spanberger's Better Cybercrime Metrics Act would improve how the federal government tracks, measures, analyzes, and prosecutes cybercrime. By starting the process of building an effective system to delineate and track cybercrime incidents, her legislation would allow U.S. law enforcement agencies to better identify cyberthreats, prevent attacks, and take on the challenge of cybercrime. Spanberger introduced the bipartisan legislation in August 2021.

"Over the last few years, we have seen cyberattacks against American consumers, homes, and business skyrocket. Unfortunately, we have seen a federal government that lacks the preparedness required to fully combat the threats posed by the next generation of cybercrime," said Spanberger. "That's why I am so proud to see my bipartisan bill advance out of the House Judiciary Committee today," said Spanberger. "The Better Cybercrime Metrics Act would provide our law enforcement with the tools they need to fight cybercrime and keep our communities safe online. By establishing a classification system that can properly identify these crimes and prevent attacks, we can hold perpetrators accountable and be better prepared for the next generation of challenges."

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