A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate this week would require the Department of Homeland Security to establish a Cybersecurity State Coordinator program.
Through this program, states would have to appoint their own federally funded Cybersecurity Coordinator who would work with federal, state, and local governments as well as schools, hospitals, and other entities to combat cybersecurity threats.
“Cybersecurity for state and local governments is just as important as federal cybersecurity, and frequently, they lack the resources, technical know-how, and situational awareness to secure their systems, or respond in the event of an attack,” U.S. Sen. Portman (R-OH), the bill’s sponsor, said. “This bipartisan bill, which creates a Cybersecurity State Coordinator position, would help bolster state and local governments’ cybersecurity by facilitating their relationship with the federal government to ensure they know what preventative resources are available to them as well as who to turn to if an attack occurs.”
Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Gary Peters (D-MI) also sponsored the bill along with Portman.
“Cyberattacks can be devastating for communities across our country, from ransomware attacks that can block access to school or medical records to cyberattacks that can shut down electrical grids or banking services,” Hassan said. “When New Hampshire’s Strafford County and Sunapee School District were hit by ransomware attacks this past year, officials had systems in place to mitigate damage. But as they made clear to me, the federal government needs to do more to ensure that state and local entities have the resources and training that they need to prevent and respond to cyberattacks.”
The program would be housed within the DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
“With cyber threats becoming more sophisticated and formidable every day, it’s vital that states have a point person responsible for coordinating cybersecurity efforts with experts in the federal government,” Peters said. “These coordinators would help states better understand relevant threats, access federal cybersecurity resources, and respond to potential attacks. I’m proud to cosponsor this commonsense, bipartisan legislation, which will help to ensure that all levels of government are prepared to combat cybercriminals and protect their networks.”