Cybersecurity Workforce Assessment Act 2014-12-18 Public Law (This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on December 10, 2014. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Cybersecurity Workforce Assessment Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, within 180 days and annually thereafter for three years, to conduct an assessment of the cybersecurity workforce of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which shall include information on:

  • the readiness and capacity of such workforce to meet its cybersecurity mission;
  • where cybersecurity workforce positions are located within DHS;
  • which such positions are performed by permanent full-time equivalent DHS employees, by independent contractors, and by individuals employed by other federal agencies;
  • which such positions are vacant;
  • the percentage of individuals within each Cybersecurity Category and Specialty Area who received essential training to perform their jobs; and
  • in cases in which such training was not received, what challenges were encountered regarding the provision of such training.

Directs the Secretary to develop, maintain, and update a comprehensive workforce strategy to enhance the readiness, capacity, training, recruitment, and retention of DHS's cybersecurity workforce, which shall include a description of:

  • a multi-phased recruitment plan,
  • a 5-year implementation plan,
  • a 10-year projection of the cybersecurity workforce needs of DHS,
  • any obstacle impeding the hiring and development of such workforce, and
  • any gap in the existing DHS cybersecurity workforce and a plan to fill such gap.

Requires the Secretary to submit to the appropriate congressional committees: (1) annual updates on such assessment and on the Secretary's progress in carrying out such strategy; and (2) a report on the feasibility, cost, and benefits of establishing a Cybersecurity Fellowship Program to offer a tuition payment plan for individuals pursuing undergraduate and doctoral degrees who agree to work for DHS for an agreed-upon period.

]]> 2014-12-10 Passed Senate amended Cybersecurity Workforce Assessment Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, within 180 days and annually thereafter for three years, to conduct an assessment of the cybersecurity workforce of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which shall include information on:

  • the readiness and capacity of such workforce to meet its cybersecurity mission;
  • where cybersecurity workforce positions are located within DHS;
  • which such positions are performed by permanent full-time equivalent DHS employees, by independent contractors, and by individuals employed by other federal agencies;
  • which such positions are vacant;
  • the percentage of individuals within each Cybersecurity Category and Specialty Area who received essential training to perform their jobs; and
  • in cases in which such training was not received, what challenges were encountered regarding the provision of such training.

Directs the Secretary to develop, maintain, and update a comprehensive workforce strategy to enhance the readiness, capacity, training, recruitment, and retention of DHS's cybersecurity workforce, which shall include a description of:

  • a multi-phased recruitment plan,
  • a 5-year implementation plan,
  • a 10-year projection of the cybersecurity workforce needs of DHS,
  • any obstacle impeding the hiring and development of such workforce, and
  • any gap in the existing DHS cybersecurity workforce and a plan to fill such gap.

Requires the Secretary to submit to the appropriate congressional committees: (1) annual updates on such assessment and on the Secretary's progress in carrying out such strategy; and (2) a report on the feasibility, cost, and benefits of establishing a Cybersecurity Fellowship Program to offer a tuition payment plan for individuals pursuing undergraduate and doctoral degrees who agree to work for DHS for an agreed-upon period.

]]> 2014-07-28 Passed House amended Critical Infrastructure Research and Development Advancement Act of 2014 or the CIRDA Act of 2014 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, to transmit to Congress: (1) a strategic plan to guide the overall direction of federal physical security and cybersecurity technology research and development efforts for protecting critical infrastructure, including against all threats; (2) a report on the utilization of public-private research and development consortiums by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for accelerating technology development for critical infrastructure protection; and (3) updates every two years.

Requires such plan to include: (1) an identification of critical infrastructure security risks and any associated security technology gaps that are developed following performance of a risk/gap analysis; (2) a set of critical infrastructure security technology needs that is prioritized based on risk and gaps identified; (3) an identification of laboratories, facilities, modeling, and simulation capabilities that will be required to support the research, development, demonstration, testing, evaluation, and acquisition of such security technologies; (4) an identification of current and planned programmatic initiatives for fostering the rapid advancement and deployment of security technologies for critical infrastructure protection; and (5) a description of progress made with respect to each critical infrastructure security risk, associated security technology gap, and critical infrastructure technology need identified in the preceding strategic plan transmitted.

Requires such report to: (1) focus on aspects of critical infrastructure protection that are predominately operated by the private sector and that would most benefit from rapid security technology advancement; and (2) include a summary of the progress and accomplishments of on-going consortiums for critical infrastructure security technologies, a prioritized list of technology development focus areas that would most benefit from a public-private research and development consortium, and a proposal for implementing an expanded research and development consortium program.

Directs the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, in coordination with the Under Secretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate, to designate a technology clearinghouse for rapidly sharing proven technology solutions for protecting critical infrastructure. Requires all technologies shared through the clearinghouse to include a set of performance and readiness metrics to assist end-users in deploying effective and timely solutions relevant for their critical infrastructures. Requires: (1) DHS's Privacy Officer to annually review the clearinghouse process to evaluate its consistency with fair information practice principles; and (2) the Comptroller General (GAO), within two years after the enactment of this Act, to conduct an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of and report to Congress on such clearinghouse and the centralized federal clearinghouse for information relating to technologies established under such Act.

]]> 2014-01-09 Reported to House amended Critical Infrastructure Research and Development Advancement Act of 2013 or the CIRDA Act of 2013 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, to transmit to Congress: (1) a strategic plan to guide the overall direction of federal physical security and cybersecurity technology research and development efforts for protecting critical infrastructure, including against all threats; (2) a report on the utilization of public-private research and development consortiums by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for accelerating technology development for critical infrastructure protection; and (3) updates every two years.

Requires such plan to include: (1) an identification of critical infrastructure security risks and any associated security technology gaps that are developed following performance of a risk/gap analysis; (2) a set of critical infrastructure security technology needs that is prioritized based on risk and gaps identified; (3) an identification of laboratories, facilities, modeling, and simulation capabilities that will be required to support the research, development, demonstration, testing, evaluation, and acquisition of such security technologies; (4) an identification of current and planned programmatic initiatives for fostering the rapid advancement and deployment of security technologies for critical infrastructure protection; and (5) a description of progress made with respect to each critical infrastructure security risk, associated security technology gap, and critical infrastructure technology need identified in the preceding strategic plan transmitted.

Requires such report to: (1) focus on aspects of critical infrastructure protection that are predominately operated by the private sector and that would most benefit from rapid security technology advancement; and (2) include a summary of the progress and accomplishments of on-going consortiums for critical infrastructure security technologies, a prioritized list of technology development focus areas that would most benefit from a public-private research and development consortium, and a proposal for implementing an expanded research and development consortium program.

Directs the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, in coordination with the Under Secretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate, to designate a technology clearinghouse for rapidly sharing proven technology solutions for protecting critical infrastructure. Requires all technologies shared through the clearinghouse to include a set of performance and readiness metrics to assist end-users in deploying effective and timely solutions relevant for their critical infrastructures. Requires: (1) DHS's Privacy Officer to annually review the clearinghouse process to evaluate its consistency with fair information practice principles; and (2) the Comptroller General (GAO), within two years after the enactment of this Act, to conduct an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of and report to Congress on such clearinghouse and the centralized federal clearinghouse for information relating to technologies established under such Act.

]]> 2013-08-01 Introduced in House Critical Infrastructure Research and Development Advancement Act of 2013 or the CIRDA Act of 2013 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to transmit to Congress: (1) a strategic plan to guide the overall direction of federal physical security and cybersecurity technology research and development efforts for protecting critical infrastructure, (2) a study on the use by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of public-private research and development consortiums for accelerating technology development for critical infrastructure protection, and (3) updates every two years.

Requires such plan to include: (1) an identification of critical infrastructure security risks and the associated security technology gaps that are developed following performance of a risk/gap analysis; (2) a set of critical infrastructure security technology needs that is prioritized based on risk and gaps identified; (3) an identification of laboratories, facilities, modeling, and simulation capabilities that will be required to support the research, development, demonstration, testing, evaluation, and acquisition of such security technologies; and (4) an identification of current and planned programmatic initiatives for fostering the rapid advancement and deployment of security technologies for critical infrastructure protection.

Requires such study to: (1) focus on aspects of critical infrastructure protection that are predominately operated by the private sector and that would most benefit from rapid security technology advancement; and (2) include a summary of the progress and accomplishments of on-going consortiums for critical infrastructure security technologies, a prioritized list of technology development focus areas that would most benefit from a public-private research and development consortium, and a proposal for implementing an expanded research and development consortium program.

Directs the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, in coordination with the Under Secretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate, to designate a technology clearinghouse for rapidly sharing proven technology solutions for protecting critical infrastructure. Requires DHS's Privacy Officer to annually review the clearinghouse process to evaluate its consistency with fair information practice principles. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to conduct an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of such clearinghouse and the clearinghouse for information relating to technologies established under such Act.

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