HR 3208 Reported in House – CISA Cyber OJT

Last month, the House Homeland Security Committee published their Report on HR 3208 [removed from paywall], the DHS Cybersecurity On-the-Job Training Program. The Committee met on May 17^th, 2023, and recommended the bill favorably reported without amendment by a voice vote. The legislation is now cleared for possible consideration by the full House.

The bill would establish in CISA “the ‘DHS Cybersecurity On-the-Job Training Program’ to voluntarily train Department employees who are not currently in a cybersecurity position for work in matters relating to cybersecurity at the Department.”

The Report

The report notes (pg 2) that as the DHS Cyber Talent Management System (CTMS) continues to ramp up its efforts to increase the number of skilled cybersecurity professionals within the Department, CISA will need to reskill existing DHS employees to support the Department’s vital cybersecurity mission. It further explains that:

“The bill formally authorizes CISA’s training activities in this space, in consultation with the Under Secretary for Management, while also giving them the flexibility needed to expand and adapt the program to address the growing cyber workforce gap.”

The Committee had not received a Congressional Budget Office report on the cost of the provisions of this legislation.

Moving Forward

With a voice vote approval in Committee and no ‘Alternate View’ section outline Democratic concerns about the bill, it is clear that this bill has broad, bipartisan support. As such it could reasonably be expected to be considered under the House suspension of the rules process. I expect that, if the bill were considered, that it would receive similar support on the floor.