Ratcliffe’s cybersecurity bill receives companion legislation in Senate

A companion bill to U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe’s (R-TX) Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017 was recently introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

Grassley currently serves as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, while Feinstein serves as the committee’s ranking member. U.S. Sens. Richard Shelby (R-AL), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Luther Strange (R-AL) signed on as cosponsors.

The legislation would authorize the National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI) in Hoover, Alabama, which trains thousands of local law enforcement officials in countering cyberattacks. To date, the NCFI has trained more than 6,200 professionals from all 50 states.

“The National Computer Forensics Institute has played a major role in equipping state and local law enforcement officers across the country with the tools they need to address the extra layers of complexity presented by the growing incidences of cybercrime,” Ratcliffe said.

Don Waddle, law enforcement official from Ratcliffe’s congressional district, said the center was beneficial for the citizens of his jurisdiction because the training led to better recovery rates for property as well as more perpetrators being taken off the streets.

“A better-equipped, better-prepared police force means better-protected communities,” Ratcliffe said. “And at the end of the day, the safety of the American people is always the number one goal.”