WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), announced her co-sponsorship of the State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by HSGAC Chairman Gary Peters and Ranking Member Rob Portman that would promote coordination between the Department of Homeland Security and states and localities on cybersecurity threats, vulnerabilities, and breaches, as well as resources to prevent and recover from cyberattacks.
“State and local governments with limited resources are increasingly the targets of cyberattacks, costing taxpayers millions of dollars and potentially exposing the personal information of countless Americans,” said Senator Rosen. “This bipartisan legislation would strengthen the coordination between the Department of Homeland Security and state and local governments and allow for sharing of resources to prevent and respond to cyberattacks. I thank Chairman Peters and Ranking Member Portman for their leadership on this critical legislation.”
BACKGROUND: The State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act will facilitate coordination between DHS and state and local governments in several key areas. The legislation will permit the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) to provide state and local actors with access to improved security tools, policies, and procedures, while also encouraging collaboration for the effective implementation of those resources, including joint cybersecurity exercises. The legislation will also build on previous efforts by the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) to prevent, protect, and respond to future cybersecurity incidents. These changes would also ensure that government officials and their staffs have access to the hardware and software products needed to bolster their cyber defenses.
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