S 2887 Introduced – Cyber Civil Support Teams

Last month Sen. Cantwell (D,WA) introduced S 2887, the Major General Tim Lowenberg National Guard Cyber Defenders Act. This is a companion bill (identical wording) to HR 3712.

Like we saw in the House, neither Cantwell or her single cosponsor, Sen. Manchin (D,WV) are members of the Senate Armed Services Committee to which this bill was assigned for consideration. Similarly, this bill is unlikely to move forward.

Bills Introduced – 05-21-18

With both the House and Senate back in town yesterday, there were 25 bills introduced. Of those, two may be of specific interest to readers of this blog:

HR 5895 Making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, and for other purposes. Rep. Simpson, Michael K. [R-ID-2]

S 2887 A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for the establishment and operation of reserve component cyber civil support teams, and for other purposes. Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA]

As is usual with these spending bills, I will be watching for items of potential interest to readers of this blog. With HR 5895 I will be specifically looking for cybersecurity and chemical safety provisions.

There has been a great deal of talk about these type units over the last couple of years. It will be interesting to see how Cantwell addresses the issue in S 2887. As always, I will be watching for definitions and provisions that specifically address control system security issues.