Senate advances legislation designed to strengthen state, local cybersecurity coordination

Legislation re-introduced by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH), chairman and ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, had advanced in the Senate.

The State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act would promote stronger cybersecurity coordination between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and state and local governments by encouraging federal cybersecurity experts to share information regarding cybersecurity threats, vulnerabilities, and breaches with states and localities.

“Cash-strapped state and local governments often don’t have the expertise or resources needed to identify weak points in their networks that hackers can exploit. As cybercriminals continue targeting the networks of state, local, tribal, and territorial governments – it’s critical the federal government provides them with the tools to fight back, protect sensitive information, and ensure they can continue to serve their residents,” Peters said. “I’m pleased this important legislation has advanced in the Senate and will continue working to ensure its swift passage into law to bolster our cybersecurity defenses at every level of government.”

As bad actors increasingly target states and local governments, the Senators’ offices said, the bill would also encourage federal cybersecurity experts to share resources to prevent and recover from cyberattacks.

“As we’ve seen from the many recent cyberattacks, hackers with malicious intent can and do attack state and local cyberinfrastructure consistently. Sometimes, state and local governments need some additional help or access to expertise to address these threats,” Portman said. “I’m pleased the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has passed this bill to strengthen an existing relationship between the Department of Homeland Security and state and local partners to improve coordination and information sharing to help protect our IT infrastructure at all levels of government.”