[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2556 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2556

 To provide for the establishment of Vertical Centers of Excellence on 
 Cybersecurity to create solutions to, and promote best practices for, 
              industry-specific cybersecurity challenges.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 27, 2013

  Mr. Honda introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the establishment of Vertical Centers of Excellence on 
 Cybersecurity to create solutions to, and promote best practices for, 
              industry-specific cybersecurity challenges.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Excellence in Cybersecurity Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Cybercrime is one of the preeminent threats facing the 
        United States today, and presents a cumulative national 
        security, economic, and individual threat unlike any before it.
            (2) The total global cost of cybercrime is estimated to be 
        $1,000,000,000,000 per year and represents one of the greatest 
        transfers of wealth in the history of the world.
            (3) Cybercrime surveys have found that the solutions to 
        cybersecurity threats are multi-pronged and go beyond increased 
        data sharing and threat analysis.
            (4) Many leaders of organizations do not know who is 
        responsible for the cybersecurity needs of their organization 
        or industry. These leaders also underestimate the capabilities 
        of their adversaries in cybercrime and the strategic, 
        financial, reputational, and regulatory risks those adversaries 
        pose to organizations.
            (5) Security experts are not effectively communicating best 
        practices to address cyberthreats, cyberattacks, and defensive 
        technologies.
            (6) Cybersecurity experts believe there are 4 key factors 
        that impact the vulnerability of an organization to cybercrime:
                    (A) Understanding the changes to and best practices 
                for the current threat environment.
                    (B) Strategy and execution of a cybersecurity 
                program.
                    (C) The identification of key assets in need of 
                protection.
                    (D) The ability to develop relationships with 
                similar organizations to develop protection within the 
                industry ecosystem.
            (7) It is essential that the United States prioritize the 
        development of organizational relationships and best practices 
        of specific industries to help protect those industries against 
        threats to cybersecurity.

SEC. 3. VERTICAL CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE ON CYBERSECURITY.

    (a) Establishment.--The Director of the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology shall establish 5 Vertical Centers of 
Excellence on Cybersecurity.
    (b) Mission.--Each Center shall convene experts and individuals in 
the industry that is the focus of the work of that Center for the 
purposes of--
            (1) identifying and analyzing existing and future 
        cybersecurity challenges faced by various industries;
            (2) creating solutions and promoting best practices to 
        address such challenges; and
            (3) collaborating with individuals in those industries to 
        share knowledge.
    (c) Requirements.--In establishing each Center under subsection 
(a), the Director, not later than 6 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, shall select--
            (1) a particular industry that faces cybersecurity 
        challenges to be the focus of the work of that Center;
            (2) a manager to be responsible for the administrative 
        functions of that Center; and
            (3) the location of that Center pursuant to subsection (d).
    (d) Location Requirements.--The Director shall seek to ensure that 
each Center is located a sufficient geographical distance from another 
Center and shall select a location for each Center based on--
            (1) proximity to the geographical location of a number of 
        businesses operating in the industry selected pursuant to 
        subsection (c)(1);
            (2) accessibility to the experts selected pursuant to 
        section 5; and
            (3) the capacity of the facilities at the Center to 
        convene, and promote collaboration among, experts and 
        individuals in that industry.
    (e) Partnerships.--The Director may establish partnerships with 
public or nonprofit entities to provide services for a Center 
established under subsection (a).

SEC. 4. DUTIES OF CENTERS.

    (a) In General.--The Director and the manager of each Center shall 
jointly select a group of experts, consistent with the requirements in 
section 5, to carry out the duties described in subsection (b).
    (b) Duties of Experts.--The experts at each Center shall--
            (1) identify and analyze existing and future cybersecurity 
        challenges faced by the industry selected pursuant to section 
        2(c)(1);
            (2) create solutions to those cybersecurity challenges that 
        are cost-effective, repeatable, and scalable;
            (3) collaborate, convene discussions, and share knowledge 
        with individuals in that industry to accomplish the work of the 
        Center; and
            (4) create educational programs to promote best practices 
        in cybersecurity for such individuals.
    (c) Requirements of Centers.--Each Center shall--
            (1) work within the Cybersecurity Framework created 
        pursuant to section 7 of Executive Order 13636, entitled 
        ``Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity'' (78 Fed. 
        Reg. 11739);
            (2) collaborate with each of the other Centers to share 
        relevant information;
            (3) encourage the development of relationships among 
        individuals in the industry selected pursuant to section 
        2(c)(1); and
            (4) share the best practices and lessons learned from the 
        work of the Center with those individuals.
    (d) Confidentiality.--The Director, in consultation with 
individuals in the industry selected pursuant to section 2(c)(1), shall 
establish procedures to ensure the confidentiality of the information 
handled by the Centers. The Centers shall be exempt from the 
requirements set forth in section 552(b) of title 5, United States Code 
(commonly known as the Freedom of Information Act).

SEC. 5. REQUIREMENTS FOR EXPERTS.

    (a) Number and Compensation.--The Director shall determine--
            (1) the number of experts at each Center; and
            (2) the compensation for each expert selected.
    (b) Qualifications.--Experts shall have experience in government, 
academia, or the particular industry that is the focus of the work of 
the Center, and any other qualifications the Director may determine.

SEC. 6. REPORT.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Director shall submit a report to Congress describing the cybersecurity 
challenges, solutions, and best practices addressed by each Center.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Center.--The term ``Center'' means a Vertical Center of 
        Excellence on Cybersecurity established under section 2(a).
            (2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Director for each of 
fiscal years 2014 through 2019 $25,000,000 to carry out this Act. 
Amounts appropriated pursuant to this section shall be subdivided into 
5 equal amounts to be distributed to each Center.
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