Following on its passage on Thursday of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) (H.R. 3523) and the Federal Information Security Amendments Act of 2012 (H.R. 4257), the House on Friday approved two additional cybersecurity measures.

The Cybersecurity Enhancement Act (H.R. 2096), sponsored by Rep. Michael T. McCaul (R-TX), passed by a vote of 395-10. The bill would require certain federal agencies to develop and submit to Congress a cybersecurity strategic research and development plan that takes into consideration the views of stakeholders in industry and academia. The bill would also provide scholarships for students studying cybersecurity, in exchange for federal or other government service after graduation.

The Advancing America’s Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act of 2012 (H.R. 3834), sponsored by Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX), passed on a voice vote. This bill also addresses cybersecurity research and development and would require certain federal agencies to develop periodically updated strategic plans for achieving cybersecurity research and development goals, taking into account recommendations from stakeholders. The bill would encourage agencies to support large-scale, long-term, interdisciplinary research activities that have the potential to improve, inter alia, U.S. economic competitiveness. In addition, the bill would require the Director of the National Coordination Office, which reports to the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, to establish a task force of academic, industry, and government representatives to explore mechanisms for collaborative research and design, and to convene a governmental interagency working group to address increasing use of cloud computing for research.