HR 53 Introduced – Cybersecurity Education

As I reported in an earlier post Rep. Jackson-Lee (D,TX) introduced HR 53, the Cyber Security Education and Federal Workforce Enhancement Act. This bill would formally establish the current the Cybersecurity Education and Awareness Branch (CEA) within the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Cybersecurity and Communications (CS&C). The CEA manages the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS).

This program in DHS is not specifically mentioned in the Explanatory Statement that accompanied HR 240 (the current DHS funding bill). Presumably the funding for this program comes out of the $15 million for education listed under ‘Global Security Management’. This bill would do nothing to increase that funding, but might raise the level of visibility to the point where it might get mentioned in the future.

The programs identified in the bill would help foster federal cybersecurity workforce development. There would certainly be some spillover effect into the private sector as personnel moved out of the government and the education programs produced cybersecurity trained personnel excess to the government needs.

If Ms. Jackson-Lee can convince the Republican leadership in three committees (Homeland Security, Science and Technology, and Education and Workforce) to consider this bill then the bill might make it to the floor in the House. There is nothing in the bill that would seem to inspire specific opposition, so it would probably pass if considered.