During a panel on fighting cyber crime hosted by Bloomberg Government, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., brought up the knowledge base developing in Congress around cybersecurity. Pivoting off that statement, the moderator asked Whitehouse what he thought about a Cyber Committee or Cybersecurity Caucus in the Senate.

"Yeah, there should be, and we should figure out how to do it," Whitehouse said. "If we could get a solid bipartisan group together I think that would help move things along."

Technology moves quickly and much of the government is well behind the private sector, though the ubiquity of the Internet and increasing reports of cyber breaches are forcing the Senate to catch up.

"There's a lot of knowledge that has developed in this area," Whitehouse said. "I'm pretty comfortable talking with my colleagues about it — there may be a few people for whom it's not in their wheelhouse of interest — but there is plenty of knowledge and interest in the Senate."

What would a bipartisan Cyber Caucus look like? Below are a few suggestions on where to start. Who do you think should make the cut?

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.)

As a member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law, Whitehouse, a former U.S. attorney, has been building his chops on cyber crime. He was a cosponsor on the Cybersecurity and American Cyber Competitiveness Act of 2013, a bill to address identity security and promote cyber jobs, and the 2013 FISA Court Reform Act, which dealt with the judicial side of electronic surveillance,

Whitehouse would be a useful addition to a Cyber Caucus from a legal standpoint alone.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)

Despite being one of the longest serving members of congress, Hatch proves that age does not negate interest in technology. The octogenarian serves on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security and has a special interest in protecting intellectual property in the Internet Age.

Hatch was a cosponsor of the International Cybercrime Reporting and Cooperation Act and National Cyber Infrastructure Protection Act, both introduced in 2010.

He is also chairman of the Senate Republican High-Tech Task Force, a group that promotes legislation to boost the U.S. tech industry.

Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.)

Carper, a principle author on the 2010 Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act — a controversial but forward-looking bill — is an obvious choice. As chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Carper has made tech a focus of efforts to make governing more efficient.

The senator was one of seven cosponsors on the Cybersecurity and American Cyber Competitiveness Act of 2013 and a main sponsor of the 2014 Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), along with our next nominee, Sen. Tom Coburn.

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)

Along with the 2014 FISMA legislation, Coburn cosponsored the 2014 Deter Cyber Theft Act. He is the ranking member on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and a member of the Subcommittee on the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Federal Programs and the Federal Workforce — both places where tech comes up regularly.

The Caucus would have to come together sooner than later if Cobern were to join, as the senator has announced plans to retire at the end of his term in 2016.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.)

A newcomer to the Senate, Booker gained notoriety as a keen social media user during his tenure as mayor of Newark. Once elected, Booker joined the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and its subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet. He is a cosponsored the 2014 Wi-Fi Innovation Act.

Booker was also a co-founder of online video sharing company Waywire, though he resigned his position in 2013 after being elected to the Senate.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas)

Another member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security, Cornyn was a primary sponsor of the Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act (FASTR), intended to increase public availability of government research, and the Patent Abuse Reduction Act, which passed as part of the 2013 Innovation Act.

Cornyn is particularly focused on technology education, with an eye toward creating IT jobs and a skilled workforce.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.)

Warner's technology bona fides stretch outside the government to his co-founding of Columbia Capital, a venture capital firm focused on IT and telecommunications.

He cosponsored the 2010 Reward Innovation in America Act, which expanded on previous legislation from 1980 and established competition prizes for "innovations that advance the missions of federal agencies." He also signed on to the Computer Science Education and Jobs Act of 2013 to provide more access to technology education at the elementary and secondary levels.

About Aaron Boyd

Aaron Boyd is an awarding-winning journalist currently serving as editor of Federal Times — a Washington, D.C. institution covering federal workforce and contracting for more than 50 years — and Fifth Domain — a news and information hub focused on cybersecurity and cyberwar from a civilian, military and international perspective.

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