Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs ranking member, has a new idea for policing cybercrime in the federal government. She wants to create a Senate-confirmed director of federal cybersecurity based at the Department of Homeland Security, not the White House.

Her latest move underscores her opposition to creating a White House "czar" to manage cybersecurity defenses.

"Some have suggested that this effort can best be led from the White House," Collins told an audience at an event hosted by the George Washington University's Homeland Security Policy Institute. "I've reached a different conclusion. In short, effectively managing government cybersecurity is going to require more than a few staff crammed into a cubicle in the depths of the White House."

Collins wants a director who will lead a cybersecurity center within DHS, reporting to the DHS secretary on daily operations, and to the president, according to an article on nextgov.com.

"Some will argue that a single federal department or agency is not muscular enough to direct other federal departments and agencies to actively secure their information technology infrastructure," she said. "But Congress has dealt with complex challenges involving the need for interagency coordination in the past."

Collins latest proposal comes shortly after TechAmerica, a high-tech association representing 1,500 companies, wrote to President Obama last week urging him to name a qualified person as soon as possible. While Obama tends to other priorities, bad actors around the world are not sitting by and waiting. "Those that would seek to harm America by exploiting our digital infrastructure continue to increase their efforts," the group said.

For more on Collins' cyber proposal:
- see this nextgov.com article

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