“It’s not an end of the conversation and in fact it’s just a continuation of it,” said one senior administration official.

LEGISLATION NEEDED

Last year’s bill, which also included liability protection for companies, is expected to be reintroduced on Wednesday, according to its author, Republican Representative Mike Rogers, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee.

“We agree that our biggest barriers to bolster our cyber defenses can be fixed only with legislation,” Rogers said.

His bill last year passed the House of Representatives but not the Senate, largely because of concerns about expansion of federal regulations and protecting private information when it comes to sharing private data with the government.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the powerful business lobby, reiterated its opposition to “expansion or creation of new regulatory regimes” and called Obama’s order unnecessary.

Obama’s executive order requires government officials to comply with and routinely assess privacy standards and civil liberties protections.

Many influential lawmakers and industry heavyweights welcomed Obama’s move as a step closer to a comprehensive cyber security law that bolsters a partnership between the public and private sectors.

“These activities represent a down payment in the protection of our nation’s cyber infrastructure, which Congress will build upon as they develop comprehensive cybersecurity legislation,” said Michael Chertoff, former secretary of homeland security under President George W. Bush. He called the executive order a “critical step in protecting America.”