U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Rob Portman (R-OH) introduced a bipartisan bill to require the Department of Homeland Security to establish a Cybersecurity State Coordinator program.

 

Each state would have its own federally funded Cybersecurity Coordinator, who would be responsible for helping to prevent and respond to cybersecurity threats by working with federal, state, and local governments as well as schools, hospitals, and other entities.

“Cybersecurity for state and local governments is just as important as federal cybersecurity, and frequently, they lack the resources, technical know-how, and situational awareness to secure their systems, or respond in the event of an attack,” Senator Portman said. “This bipartisan bill, which creates a Cybersecurity State Coordinator position, would help bolster state and local governments’ cybersecurity by facilitating their relationship with the federal government to ensure they know what preventative resources are available to them as well as who to turn to if an attack occurs.  I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to pass this important legislation.”

The Cybersecurity State Coordinator program would be housed in the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The State Coordinators would:

• Improve coordination within federal entities and between federal and non-federal entities, including state and local governments and other organizations
• Support preparation, response, and remediation efforts relating to cybersecurity risks and incidents, including ransomware
• Facilitate the sharing of cyber threat information
• Raise awareness of financial, technical, and operational resources that the federal government offers to non-federal entities to help prevent cyber threats