US critical infrastructure security bill likely dead

A White House-backed cyber security bill on Thursday failed to secure the necessary votes needed to bring it to a full Senate vote, effectively guaranteeing that legislation governing computer protection responsibilities for the private sector will have to wait at least another year before being passed.

The largely Democrat-supported Cybersecurity Act of 2012 would have incentivized those companies that operate critical infrastructure to meet a series of security best practices, as part of a voluntary program.

The bill was re-introduced last month to include privacy concessions and rid the enforcement oversight it originally gave to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Unlike prior attempts at passing cyber security legislation, this proposal carried momentum, including garnering the support of President Obama, who even recently published a Wall Street Journal op-ed urging lawmakers to act.