Senate bill would help state, local governments thwart cyberattacks

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee advanced a bill to foster stronger cybersecurity coordination between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and state and local governments.

The State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act would encourage national cybersecurity watchdog groups to share information with states and localities to help them prevent and recover from cyberattacks.

“Hackers with malicious intent can and do attack state and local cyber infrastructure consistently. Sometimes, state and local governments need some additional help or access to expertise to mitigate these threats,” Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), one of the bill’s sponsors, said. “I applaud the committee for passing this bill that will improve coordination and information sharing between the Department of Homeland Security and state and local partners to help protect our IT infrastructure at all levels of government. I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation when it comes to the Senate floor.”

Several state and local governments have the target of high-profile cyberattacks in recent years. They are an attractive target for hackers because they have valuable information about their citizens but don’t have the sophisticated tools to safeguard their systems.

This bill will facilitate coordination between DHS and state and local governments by providing guidance and training on combatting cybersecurity threats and safeguarding critical infrastructure. It also would give state and local actors with access to improved security tools, policies, and procedures.

Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) co-sponsored the bill. It now moves to the full Senate for action.