Takeaway: President Biden recently signed into law the “Federal Rotation Cyber Workforce Program Act” and the “State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act”. With these new laws, the Biden Administration is attempting to build a more robust cybersecurity workforce and aid local governments in combating cybercrime.
On June 21, 2022, President Biden signed two bills to combat the war on cybercrime. The two bills are the “Federal Rotation Cyber Workforce Program Act” and the “State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act.”[1]
The Federal Rotation Cyber Workforce Program Act creates a rotating program for cybersecurity and information technology professionals to have the opportunity to work in various federal agencies to sharpen their expertise. The Senate passed this bill in 2019, but the House only voted on it this year. [2]
The State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act looks to improve the coordination between the Department of Homeland Security and local governments when battling cybercrime. [3]. This bill requires the National Cybercrime and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) to share with states its security tools and protocols for dealing with cybercriminals.
Representative Joe Neguse (D-CO), who introduced this bill, stated:
“For hackers, state and local governments are an attractive target — we must increase support to these entities so that they can strengthen their systems and better defend themselves from harmful cyber-attacks.”[4]
Local governments are in need of help from federal agencies because of the sophistication of modern cyber-attacks. These recently passed bills will aid in creating a more extensive network of well-informed cybercrime fighters and agencies.
[1] S. 1097: Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act of 2021; S. 2520, the “State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act of 2021.
[2] Madeline Lauver, US passes bills to foreground national security, Security Magazine, June 23, 2022, https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/97873-us-passes-bills-to-foreground-national-cybersecurity.
[3] Zach Schonfeld, Biden Signs cyber bills into law, THE HILL, June 6, 2022, 3:35 pm EDT, https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/3531553-biden-signs-cyber-bills-into-law/.
[4] Id.
