Review – HR7777 Introduced – ICS Training

Earlier this week, Rep Swalwell (D,CA) introduced HR 7777, the Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Training Act. The bill would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002, adding a new §2220D that would establish within CISA an Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Training Initiative. No new funding is authorized in the bill.

Moving Forward

Swalwell is a member of the House Homeland Security Committee to which this bill was assigned for consideration. This means that there may be sufficient influence to see this bill considered in Committee. I see nothing in this bill that would engender any organized opposition. I suspect that the bill would receive substantial bipartisan support in Committee. The bill would likely pass in the House after consideration under the suspension of the rules process.

Commentary

This bill is another example of Congress authorizing a long-standing program run by the executive branch and taking credit for the idea. The description of the Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Training Initiative provided in §2220D(b) could have been taken from the CISA ICS training web page that I described (subscription required) on Tuesday. And the fact that the in person classes are held at DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory certainly fits with the requirements of §2220D(b)(2)(A).

For more details about the provisions of this bill, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/hr7777-introduced - subscription required.