Lawmakers Want to Fund Cyber Upgrades for State and Local Governments

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2019/04/lawmakers-want-fund-cyber-upgrades-state-and-local-governments/156196/

By Jack Corrigan
Staff Correspondent
Nextgov
April 9, 2019

A bipartisan bill introduced on Monday would require the Homeland Security 
Department to fund efforts by state and local governments to boost their cyber 
defenses.

The Cyber Resiliency Act would create a federal grant program to support 
cybersecurity upgrades for governments that often lack the resources to fund 
their own endeavors. It would also mandate states that participate in the 
program work to improve recruitment and retention in their cyber workforce.

“As cyberattacks increase in frequency and gravity, we must ensure that our 
nation—from our local governments on up—is adequately prepared to protect 
public safety and combat cyber threats,” said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who 
cosponsored the bill with Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo. “Nearly 70 percent of 
states have reported that they lack adequate funding to develop sufficient 
cybersecurity. This bill will aim to mitigate that need by providing grants to 
state and local jurisdictions so that they are better prepared to take on these 
emerging challenges.”

Reps. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., and Michael McCaul, R-Texas, introduced companion 
legislation in the House. A similar bill was introduced during the last 
Congress but never made it out of committee.

[...]

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