[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1353 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 1353
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To provide for an ongoing, voluntary public-private partnership to
improve cybersecurity, and to strengthen cybersecurity research and
development, workforce development and education, and public awareness
and preparedness, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Cybersecurity
Enhancement Act of 2014''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Sec. 3. No regulatory authority.
Sec. 4. No additional funds authorized.
TITLE I--PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION ON CYBERSECURITY
Sec. 101. Public-private collaboration on cybersecurity.
TITLE II--CYBERSECURITY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Sec. 201. Federal cybersecurity research and development.
Sec. 202. Computer and network security research centers.
Sec. 203. Cybersecurity automation and checklists for government
systems.
Sec. 204. National Institute of Standards and Technology cybersecurity
research and development.
TITLE III--EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Sec. 301. Cybersecurity competitions and challenges.
Sec. 302. Federal cyber scholarship-for-service program.
TITLE IV--CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS AND PREPAREDNESS
Sec. 401. National cybersecurity awareness and education program.
TITLE V--ADVANCEMENT OF CYBERSECURITY TECHNICAL STANDARDS
Sec. 501. Definitions.
Sec. 502. International cybersecurity technical standards.
Sec. 503. Cloud computing strategy.
Sec. 504. Identity management research and development.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Cybersecurity mission.--The term ``cybersecurity
mission'' means activities that encompass the full range of
threat reduction, vulnerability reduction, deterrence,
international engagement, incident response, resiliency, and
recovery policies and activities, including computer network
operations, information assurance, law enforcement, diplomacy,
military, and intelligence missions as such activities relate
to the security and stability of cyberspace.
(2) Information system.--The term ``information system''
has the meaning given that term in section 3502 of title 44,
United States Code.
SEC. 3. NO REGULATORY AUTHORITY.
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to confer any regulatory
authority on any Federal, State, tribal, or local department or agency.
SEC. 4. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.
No additional funds are authorized to carry out this Act, and the
amendments made by this Act. This Act, and the amendments made by this
Act, shall be carried out using amounts otherwise authorized or
appropriated.
TITLE I--PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION ON CYBERSECURITY
SEC. 101. PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION ON CYBERSECURITY.
(a) Cybersecurity.--Section 2(c) of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 272(c)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (15) through (22) as
paragraphs (16) through (23), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (14) the following:
``(15) on an ongoing basis, facilitate and support the
development of a voluntary, consensus-based, industry-led set
of standards, guidelines, best practices, methodologies,
procedures, and processes to cost-effectively reduce cyber
risks to critical infrastructure (as defined under subsection
(e));''.
(b) Scope and Limitations.--Section 2 of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 272) is amended by adding at
the end the following:
``(e) Cyber Risks.--
``(1) In general.--In carrying out the activities under
subsection (c)(15), the Director--
``(A) shall--
``(i) coordinate closely and regularly with
relevant private sector personnel and entities,
critical infrastructure owners and operators,
and other relevant industry organizations,
including Sector Coordinating Councils and
Information Sharing and Analysis Centers, and
incorporate industry expertise;
``(ii) consult with the heads of agencies
with national security responsibilities,
sector-specific agencies and other appropriate
agencies, State and local governments, the
governments of other nations, and international
organizations;
``(iii) identify a prioritized, flexible,
repeatable, performance-based, and cost-
effective approach, including information
security measures and controls, that may be
voluntarily adopted by owners and operators of
critical infrastructure to help them identify,
assess, and manage cyber risks;
``(iv) include methodologies--
``(I) to identify and mitigate
impacts of the cybersecurity measures
or controls on business
confidentiality; and
``(II) to protect individual
privacy and civil liberties;
``(v) incorporate voluntary consensus
standards and industry best practices;
``(vi) align with voluntary international
standards to the fullest extent possible;
``(vii) prevent duplication of regulatory
processes and prevent conflict with or
superseding of regulatory requirements,
mandatory standards, and related processes; and
``(viii) include such other similar and
consistent elements as the Director considers
necessary; and
``(B) shall not prescribe or otherwise require--
``(i) the use of specific solutions;
``(ii) the use of specific information or
communications technology products or services;
or
``(iii) that information or communications
technology products or services be designed,
developed, or manufactured in a particular
manner.
``(2) Limitation.--Information shared with or provided to
the Institute for the purpose of the activities described under
subsection (c)(15) shall not be used by any Federal, State,
tribal, or local department or agency to regulate the activity
of any entity. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to
modify any regulatory requirement to report or submit
information to a Federal, State, tribal, or local department or
agency.
``(3) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Critical infrastructure.--The term `critical
infrastructure' has the meaning given the term in
section 1016(e) of the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 (42
U.S.C. 5195c(e)).
``(B) Sector-specific agency.--The term `sector-
specific agency' means the Federal department or agency
responsible for providing institutional knowledge and
specialized expertise as well as leading, facilitating,
or supporting the security and resilience programs and
associated activities of its designated critical
infrastructure sector in the all-hazards
environment.''.
(c) Study and Reports.--
(1) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States
shall conduct a study that assesses--
(A) the progress made by the Director of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology in
facilitating the development of standards and
procedures to reduce cyber risks to critical
infrastructure in accordance with section 2(c)(15) of
the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act,
as added by this section;
(B) the extent to which the Director's facilitation
efforts are consistent with the directive in such
section that the development of such standards and
procedures be voluntary and led by industry
representatives;
(C) the extent to which other Federal agencies have
promoted and sectors of critical infrastructure (as
defined in section 1016(e) of the USA PATRIOT Act of
2001 (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e))) have adopted a voluntary,
industry-led set of standards, guidelines, best
practices, methodologies, procedures, and processes to
reduce cyber risks to critical infrastructure in
accordance with such section 2(c)(15);
(D) the reasons behind the decisions of sectors of
critical infrastructure (as defined in subparagraph
(C)) to adopt or to not adopt the voluntary standards
described in subparagraph (C); and
(E) the extent to which such voluntary standards
have proved successful in protecting critical
infrastructure from cyber threats.
(2) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and every 2 years thereafter for the
following 6 years, the Comptroller General shall submit a
report, which summarizes the findings of the study conducted
under paragraph (1), to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives.
TITLE II--CYBERSECURITY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
SEC. 201. FEDERAL CYBERSECURITY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.
(a) Fundamental Cybersecurity Research.--
(1) Federal cybersecurity research and development
strategic plan.--The heads of the applicable agencies and
departments, working through the National Science and
Technology Council and the Networking and Information
Technology Research and Development Program, shall develop and
update every 4 years a Federal cybersecurity research and
development strategic plan (referred to in this subsection as
the ``strategic plan'') based on an assessment of cybersecurity
risk to guide the overall direction of Federal cybersecurity
and information assurance research and development for
information technology and networking systems. The heads of the
applicable agencies and departments shall build upon existing
programs and plans to develop the strategic plan to meet
objectives in cybersecurity, such as--
(A) how to design and build complex software-
intensive systems that are secure and reliable when
first deployed;
(B) how to test and verify that software and
hardware, whether developed locally or obtained from a
third party, is free of significant known security
flaws;
(C) how to test and verify that software and
hardware obtained from a third party correctly
implements stated functionality, and only that
functionality;
(D) how to guarantee the privacy of an individual,
including that individual's identity, information, and
lawful transactions when stored in distributed systems
or transmitted over networks;
(E) how to build new protocols to enable the
Internet to have robust security as one of the key
capabilities of the Internet;
(F) how to determine the origin of a message
transmitted over the Internet;
(G) how to support privacy in conjunction with
improved security;
(H) how to address the problem of insider threats;
(I) how improved consumer education and digital
literacy initiatives can address human factors that
contribute to cybersecurity;
(J) how to protect information processed,
transmitted, or stored using cloud computing or
transmitted through wireless services; and
(K) any additional objectives the heads of the
applicable agencies and departments, in coordination
with the head of any relevant Federal agency and with
input from stakeholders, including appropriate national
laboratories, industry, and academia, determine
appropriate.
(2) Requirements.--
(A) Contents of plan.--The strategic plan shall--
(i) specify and prioritize near-term, mid-
term, and long-term research objectives,
including objectives associated with the
research identified in section 4(a)(1) of the
Cyber Security Research and Development Act (15
U.S.C. 7403(a)(1));
(ii) specify how the near-term objectives
described in clause (i) complement research and
development areas in which the private sector
is actively engaged;
(iii) describe how the heads of the
applicable agencies and departments will focus
on innovative, transformational technologies
with the potential to enhance the security,
reliability, resilience, and trustworthiness of
the digital infrastructure, and to protect
consumer privacy;
(iv) describe how the heads of the
applicable agencies and departments will foster
the rapid transfer of research and development
results into new cybersecurity technologies and
applications for the timely benefit of society
and the national interest, including through
the dissemination of best practices and other
outreach activities;
(v) describe how the heads of the
applicable agencies and departments will
establish and maintain a national research
infrastructure for creating, testing, and
evaluating the next generation of secure
networking and information technology systems;
and
(vi) describe how the heads of the
applicable agencies and departments will
facilitate access by academic researchers to
the infrastructure described in clause (v), as
well as to relevant data, including event data.
(B) Private sector efforts.--In developing,
implementing, and updating the strategic plan, the
heads of the applicable agencies and departments,
working through the National Science and Technology
Council and Networking and Information Technology
Research and Development Program, shall work in close
cooperation with industry, academia, and other
interested stakeholders to ensure, to the extent
possible, that Federal cybersecurity research and
development is not duplicative of private sector
efforts.
(C) Recommendations.--In developing and updating
the strategic plan the heads of the applicable agencies
and departments shall solicit recommendations and
advice from--
(i) the advisory committee established
under section 101(b)(1) of the High-Performance
Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5511(b)(1));
and
(ii) a wide range of stakeholders,
including industry, academia, including
representatives of minority serving
institutions and community colleges, National
Laboratories, and other relevant organizations
and institutions.
(D) Implementation roadmap.--The heads of the
applicable agencies and departments, working through
the National Science and Technology Council and
Networking and Information Technology Research and
Development Program, shall develop and annually update
an implementation roadmap for the strategic plan. The
implementation roadmap shall--
(i) specify the role of each Federal agency
in carrying out or sponsoring research and
development to meet the research objectives of
the strategic plan, including a description of
how progress toward the research objectives
will be evaluated;
(ii) specify the funding allocated to each
major research objective of the strategic plan
and the source of funding by agency for the
current fiscal year;
(iii) estimate the funding required for
each major research objective of the strategic
plan for the following 3 fiscal years; and
(iv) track ongoing and completed Federal
cybersecurity research and development
projects.
(3) Reports to congress.--The heads of the applicable
agencies and departments, working through the National Science
and Technology Council and Networking and Information
Technology Research and Development Program, shall submit to
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of
the House of Representatives--
(A) the strategic plan not later than 1 year after
the date of enactment of this Act;
(B) each quadrennial update to the strategic plan;
and
(C) the implementation roadmap under subparagraph
(D), and its annual updates, which shall be appended to
the annual report required under section 101(a)(2)(D)
of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15
U.S.C. 5511(a)(2)(D)).
(4) Definition of applicable agencies and departments.--In
this subsection, the term ``applicable agencies and
departments'' means the agencies and departments identified in
clauses (i) through (x) of section 101(a)(3)(B) of the High-
Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5511(a)(3)(B)) or
designated under clause (xi) of that section.
(b) Cybersecurity Practices Research.--The Director of the National
Science Foundation shall support research that--
(1) develops, evaluates, disseminates, and integrates new
cybersecurity practices and concepts into the core curriculum
of computer science programs and of other programs where
graduates of such programs have a substantial probability of
developing software after graduation, including new practices
and concepts relating to secure coding education and
improvement programs; and
(2) develops new models for professional development of
faculty in cybersecurity education, including secure coding
development.
(c) Cybersecurity Modeling and Test Beds.--
(1) Review.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science
Foundation, in coordination with the Director of the Office of
Science and Technology Policy, shall conduct a review of
cybersecurity test beds in existence on the date of enactment
of this Act to inform the grants under paragraph (2). The
review shall include an assessment of whether a sufficient
number of cybersecurity test beds are available to meet the
research needs under the Federal cybersecurity research and
development strategic plan. Upon completion, the Director shall
submit the review to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives.
(2) Additional cybersecurity modeling and test beds.--
(A) In general.--If the Director of the National
Science Foundation, after the review under paragraph
(1), determines that the research needs under the
Federal cybersecurity research and development
strategic plan require the establishment of additional
cybersecurity test beds, the Director of the National
Science Foundation, in coordination with the Secretary
of Commerce and the Secretary of Homeland Security, may
award grants to institutions of higher education or
research and development non-profit institutions to
establish cybersecurity test beds.
(B) Requirement.--The cybersecurity test beds under
subparagraph (A) shall be sufficiently robust in order
to model the scale and complexity of real-time cyber
attacks and defenses on real world networks and
environments.
(C) Assessment required.--The Director of the
National Science Foundation, in coordination with the
Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Homeland
Security, shall evaluate the effectiveness of any
grants awarded under this subsection in meeting the
objectives of the Federal cybersecurity research and
development strategic plan not later than 2 years after
the review under paragraph (1) of this subsection, and
periodically thereafter.
(d) Coordination With Other Research Initiatives.--In accordance
with the responsibilities under section 101 of the High-Performance
Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5511), the Director of the Office of
Science and Technology Policy shall coordinate, to the extent
practicable, Federal research and development activities under this
section with other ongoing research and development security-related
initiatives, including research being conducted by--
(1) the National Science Foundation;
(2) the National Institute of Standards and Technology;
(3) the Department of Homeland Security;
(4) other Federal agencies;
(5) other Federal and private research laboratories,
research entities, and universities;
(6) institutions of higher education;
(7) relevant nonprofit organizations; and
(8) international partners of the United States.
(e) National Science Foundation Computer and Network Security
Research Grant Areas.--Section 4(a)(1) of the Cyber Security Research
and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 7403(a)(1)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (H), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in subparagraph (I), by striking the period at the end
and inserting a semicolon; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(J) secure fundamental protocols that are
integral to inter-network communications and data
exchange;
``(K) secure software engineering and software
assurance, including--
``(i) programming languages and systems
that include fundamental security features;
``(ii) portable or reusable code that
remains secure when deployed in various
environments;
``(iii) verification and validation
technologies to ensure that requirements and
specifications have been implemented; and
``(iv) models for comparison and metrics to
assure that required standards have been met;
``(L) holistic system security that--
``(i) addresses the building of secure
systems from trusted and untrusted components;
``(ii) proactively reduces vulnerabilities;
``(iii) addresses insider threats; and
``(iv) supports privacy in conjunction with
improved security;
``(M) monitoring and detection;
``(N) mitigation and rapid recovery methods;
``(O) security of wireless networks and mobile
devices; and
``(P) security of cloud infrastructure and
services.''.
(f) Research on the Science of Cybersecurity.--The head of each
agency and department identified under section 101(a)(3)(B) of the
High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5511(a)(3)(B)),
through existing programs and activities, shall support research that
will lead to the development of a scientific foundation for the field
of cybersecurity, including research that increases understanding of
the underlying principles of securing complex networked systems,
enables repeatable experimentation, and creates quantifiable security
metrics.
SEC. 202. COMPUTER AND NETWORK SECURITY RESEARCH CENTERS.
Section 4(b) of the Cyber Security Research and Development Act (15
U.S.C. 7403(b)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (3), by striking ``the research areas''
and inserting the following: ``improving the security and
resiliency of information technology, reducing cyber
vulnerabilities, and anticipating and mitigating consequences
of cyber attacks on critical infrastructure, by conducting
research in the areas'';
(2) by striking ``the center'' in paragraph (4)(D) and
inserting ``the Center''; and
(3) in paragraph (5)--
(A) by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph
(C);
(B) by striking the period at the end of
subparagraph (D) and inserting a semicolon; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(E) the demonstrated capability of the applicant
to conduct high performance computation integral to
complex computer and network security research, through
on-site or off-site computing;
``(F) the applicant's affiliation with private
sector entities involved with industrial research
described in subsection (a)(1);
``(G) the capability of the applicant to conduct
research in a secure environment;
``(H) the applicant's affiliation with existing
research programs of the Federal Government;
``(I) the applicant's experience managing public-
private partnerships to transition new technologies
into a commercial setting or the government user
community;
``(J) the capability of the applicant to conduct
interdisciplinary cybersecurity research, basic and
applied, such as in law, economics, or behavioral
sciences; and
``(K) the capability of the applicant to conduct
research in areas such as systems security, wireless
security, networking and protocols, formal methods and
high-performance computing, nanotechnology, or
industrial control systems.''.
SEC. 203. CYBERSECURITY AUTOMATION AND CHECKLISTS FOR GOVERNMENT
SYSTEMS.
Section 8(c) of the Cyber Security Research and Development Act (15
U.S.C. 7406(c)) is amended to read as follows:
``(c) Security Automation and Checklists for Government Systems.--
``(1) In general.--The Director of the National Institute
of Standards and Technology shall, as necessary, develop and
revise security automation standards, associated reference
materials (including protocols), and checklists providing
settings and option selections that minimize the security risks
associated with each information technology hardware or
software system and security tool that is, or is likely to
become, widely used within the Federal Government, thereby
enabling standardized and interoperable technologies,
architectures, and frameworks for continuous monitoring of
information security within the Federal Government.
``(2) Priorities for development.--The Director of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology shall establish
priorities for the development of standards, reference
materials, and checklists under this subsection on the basis
of--
``(A) the security risks associated with the use of
the system;
``(B) the number of agencies that use a particular
system or security tool;
``(C) the usefulness of the standards, reference
materials, or checklists to Federal agencies that are
users or potential users of the system;
``(D) the effectiveness of the associated standard,
reference material, or checklist in creating or
enabling continuous monitoring of information security;
or
``(E) such other factors as the Director of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology
determines to be appropriate.
``(3) Excluded systems.--The Director of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology may exclude from the
application of paragraph (1) any information technology
hardware or software system or security tool for which such
Director determines that the development of a standard,
reference material, or checklist is inappropriate because of
the infrequency of use of the system, the obsolescence of the
system, or the lack of utility or impracticability of
developing a standard, reference material, or checklist for the
system.
``(4) Dissemination of standards and related materials.--
The Director of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology shall ensure that Federal agencies are informed of
the availability of any standard, reference material,
checklist, or other item developed under this subsection.
``(5) Agency use requirements.--The development of
standards, reference materials, and checklists under paragraph
(1) for an information technology hardware or software system
or tool does not--
``(A) require any Federal agency to select the
specific settings or options recommended by the
standard, reference material, or checklist for the
system;
``(B) establish conditions or prerequisites for
Federal agency procurement or deployment of any such
system;
``(C) imply an endorsement of any such system by
the Director of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology; or
``(D) preclude any Federal agency from procuring or
deploying other information technology hardware or
software systems for which no such standard, reference
material, or checklist has been developed or identified
under paragraph (1).''.
SEC. 204. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY CYBERSECURITY
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.
Section 20 of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
Act (15 U.S.C. 278g-3) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
``(e) Intramural Security Research.--As part of the research
activities conducted in accordance with subsection (d)(3), the
Institute shall, to the extent practicable and appropriate--
``(1) conduct a research program to develop a unifying and
standardized identity, privilege, and access control management
framework for the execution of a wide variety of resource
protection policies and that is amenable to implementation
within a wide variety of existing and emerging computing
environments;
``(2) carry out research associated with improving the
security of information systems and networks;
``(3) carry out research associated with improving the
testing, measurement, usability, and assurance of information
systems and networks;
``(4) carry out research associated with improving security
of industrial control systems;
``(5) carry out research associated with improving the
security and integrity of the information technology supply
chain; and
``(6) carry out any additional research the Institute
determines appropriate.''.
TITLE III--EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
SEC. 301. CYBERSECURITY COMPETITIONS AND CHALLENGES.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Commerce, Director of the
National Science Foundation, and Secretary of Homeland Security, in
consultation with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management,
shall--
(1) support competitions and challenges under section 24 of
the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15
U.S.C. 3719) (as amended by section 105 of the America COMPETES
Reauthorization Act of 2010 (124 Stat. 3989)) or any other
provision of law, as appropriate--
(A) to identify, develop, and recruit talented
individuals to perform duties relating to the security
of information technology in Federal, State, local, and
tribal government agencies, and the private sector; or
(B) to stimulate innovation in basic and applied
cybersecurity research, technology development, and
prototype demonstration that has the potential for
application to the information technology activities of
the Federal Government; and
(2) ensure the effective operation of the competitions and
challenges under this section.
(b) Participation.--Participants in the competitions and challenges
under subsection (a)(1) may include--
(1) students enrolled in grades 9 through 12;
(2) students enrolled in a postsecondary program of study
leading to a baccalaureate degree at an institution of higher
education;
(3) students enrolled in a postbaccalaureate program of
study at an institution of higher education;
(4) institutions of higher education and research
institutions;
(5) veterans; and
(6) other groups or individuals that the Secretary of
Commerce, Director of the National Science Foundation, and
Secretary of Homeland Security determine appropriate.
(c) Affiliation and Cooperative Agreements.--Competitions and
challenges under this section may be carried out through affiliation
and cooperative agreements with--
(1) Federal agencies;
(2) regional, State, or school programs supporting the
development of cyber professionals;
(3) State, local, and tribal governments; or
(4) other private sector organizations.
(d) Areas of Skill.--Competitions and challenges under subsection
(a)(1)(A) shall be designed to identify, develop, and recruit
exceptional talent relating to--
(1) ethical hacking;
(2) penetration testing;
(3) vulnerability assessment;
(4) continuity of system operations;
(5) security in design;
(6) cyber forensics;
(7) offensive and defensive cyber operations; and
(8) other areas the Secretary of Commerce, Director of the
National Science Foundation, and Secretary of Homeland Security
consider necessary to fulfill the cybersecurity mission.
(e) Topics.--In selecting topics for competitions and challenges
under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary of Commerce, Director of the
National Science Foundation, and Secretary of Homeland Security--
(1) shall consult widely both within and outside the
Federal Government; and
(2) may empanel advisory committees.
(f) Internships.--The Director of the Office of Personnel
Management may support, as appropriate, internships or other work
experience in the Federal Government to the winners of the competitions
and challenges under this section.
SEC. 302. FEDERAL CYBER SCHOLARSHIP-FOR-SERVICE PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Director of the National Science Foundation,
in coordination with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management
and Secretary of Homeland Security, shall continue a Federal cyber
scholarship-for-service program to recruit and train the next
generation of information technology professionals, industrial control
system security professionals, and security managers to meet the needs
of the cybersecurity mission for Federal, State, local, and tribal
governments.
(b) Program Description and Components.--The Federal Cyber
Scholarship-for-Service Program shall--
(1) provide scholarships through qualified institutions of
higher education, including community colleges, to students who
are enrolled in programs of study at institutions of higher
education leading to degrees or specialized program
certifications in the cybersecurity field;
(2) provide the scholarship recipients with summer
internship opportunities or other meaningful temporary
appointments in the Federal information technology workforce;
and
(3) prioritize the employment placement of scholarship
recipients in the Federal Government.
(c) Scholarship Amounts.--Each scholarship under subsection (b)
shall be in an amount that covers the student's tuition and fees at the
institution under subsection (b)(1) for not more than 3 years and
provides the student with an additional stipend.
(d) Post-award Employment Obligations.--Each scholarship recipient,
as a condition of receiving a scholarship under the program, shall
enter into an agreement under which the recipient agrees to work in the
cybersecurity mission of a Federal, State, local, or tribal agency for
a period equal to the length of the scholarship following receipt of
the student's degree.
(e) Hiring Authority.--
(1) Appointment in excepted service.--Notwithstanding any
provision of chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code,
governing appointments in the competitive service, an agency
shall appoint in the excepted service an individual who has
completed the eligible degree program for which a scholarship
was awarded.
(2) Noncompetitive conversion.--Except as provided in
paragraph (4), upon fulfillment of the service term, an
employee appointed under paragraph (1) may be converted
noncompetitively to term, career-conditional or career
appointment.
(3) Timing of conversion.--An agency may noncompetitively
convert a term employee appointed under paragraph (2) to a
career-conditional or career appointment before the term
appointment expires.
(4) Authority to decline conversion.--An agency may decline
to make the noncompetitive conversion or appointment under
paragraph (2) for cause.
(f) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a scholarship under
this section, an individual shall--
(1) be a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United
States;
(2) demonstrate a commitment to a career in improving the
security of information technology;
(3) have demonstrated a high level of proficiency in
mathematics, engineering, or computer sciences;
(4) be a full-time student in an eligible degree program at
a qualified institution of higher education, as determined by
the Director of the National Science Foundation; and
(5) accept the terms of a scholarship under this section.
(g) Conditions of Support.--
(1) In general.--As a condition of receiving a scholarship
under this section, a recipient shall agree to provide the
qualified institution of higher education with annual
verifiable documentation of post-award employment and up-to-
date contact information.
(2) Terms.--A scholarship recipient under this section
shall be liable to the United States as provided in subsection
(i) if the individual--
(A) fails to maintain an acceptable level of
academic standing at the applicable institution of
higher education, as determined by the Director of the
National Science Foundation;
(B) is dismissed from the applicable institution of
higher education for disciplinary reasons;
(C) withdraws from the eligible degree program
before completing the program;
(D) declares that the individual does not intend to
fulfill the post-award employment obligation under this
section; or
(E) fails to fulfill the post-award employment
obligation of the individual under this section.
(h) Monitoring Compliance.--As a condition of participating in the
program, a qualified institution of higher education shall--
(1) enter into an agreement with the Director of the
National Science Foundation, to monitor the compliance of
scholarship recipients with respect to their post-award
employment obligations; and
(2) provide to the Director of the National Science
Foundation, on an annual basis, the post-award employment
documentation required under subsection (g)(1) for scholarship
recipients through the completion of their post-award
employment obligations.
(i) Amount of Repayment.--
(1) Less than 1 year of service.--If a circumstance
described in subsection (g)(2) occurs before the completion of
1 year of a post-award employment obligation under this
section, the total amount of scholarship awards received by the
individual under this section shall--
(A) be repaid; or
(B) be treated as a loan to be repaid in accordance
with subsection (j).
(2) 1 or more years of service.--If a circumstance
described in subparagraph (D) or (E) of subsection (g)(2)
occurs after the completion of 1 or more years of a post-award
employment obligation under this section, the total amount of
scholarship awards received by the individual under this
section, reduced by the ratio of the number of years of service
completed divided by the number of years of service required,
shall--
(A) be repaid; or
(B) be treated as a loan to be repaid in accordance
with subsection (j).
(j) Repayments.--A loan described subsection (i) shall--
(1) be treated as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford
Loan under part D of title IV of the Higher Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.); and
(2) be subject to repayment, together with interest thereon
accruing from the date of the scholarship award, in accordance
with terms and conditions specified by the Director of the
National Science Foundation (in consultation with the Secretary
of Education) in regulations promulgated to carry out this
subsection.
(k) Collection of Repayment.--
(1) In general.--In the event that a scholarship recipient
is required to repay the scholarship award under this section,
the qualified institution of higher education providing the
scholarship shall--
(A) determine the repayment amounts and notify the
recipient and the Director of the National Science
Foundation of the amounts owed; and
(B) collect the repayment amounts within a period
of time as determined by the Director of the National
Science Foundation, or the repayment amounts shall be
treated as a loan in accordance with subsection (j).
(2) Returned to treasury.--Except as provided in paragraph
(3), any repayment under this subsection shall be returned to
the Treasury of the United States.
(3) Retain percentage.--A qualified institution of higher
education may retain a percentage of any repayment the
institution collects under this subsection to defray
administrative costs associated with the collection. The
Director of the National Science Foundation shall establish a
single, fixed percentage that will apply to all eligible
entities.
(l) Exceptions.--The Director of the National Science Foundation
may provide for the partial or total waiver or suspension of any
service or payment obligation by an individual under this section
whenever compliance by the individual with the obligation is impossible
or would involve extreme hardship to the individual, or if enforcement
of such obligation with respect to the individual would be
unconscionable.
(m) Evaluation and Report.--The Director of the National Science
Foundation shall evaluate and report periodically to Congress on the
success of recruiting individuals for scholarships under this section
and on hiring and retaining those individuals in the public sector
workforce.
TITLE IV--CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS AND PREPAREDNESS
SEC. 401. NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS AND EDUCATION PROGRAM.
(a) National Cybersecurity Awareness and Education Program.--The
Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(referred to in this section as the ``Director''), in consultation with
appropriate Federal agencies, industry, educational institutions,
National Laboratories, the Networking and Information Technology
Research and Development program, and other organizations shall
continue to coordinate a national cybersecurity awareness and education
program, that includes activities such as--
(1) the widespread dissemination of cybersecurity technical
standards and best practices identified by the Director;
(2) efforts to make cybersecurity best practices usable by
individuals, small to medium-sized businesses, educational
institutions, and State, local, and tribal governments;
(3) increasing public awareness of cybersecurity, cyber
safety, and cyber ethics;
(4) increasing the understanding of State, local, and
tribal governments, institutions of higher education, and
private sector entities of--
(A) the benefits of ensuring effective risk
management of information technology versus the costs
of failure to do so; and
(B) the methods to mitigate and remediate
vulnerabilities;
(5) supporting formal cybersecurity education programs at
all education levels to prepare and improve a skilled
cybersecurity and computer science workforce for the private
sector and Federal, State, local, and tribal government; and
(6) promoting initiatives to evaluate and forecast future
cybersecurity workforce needs of the Federal Government and
develop strategies for recruitment, training, and retention.
(b) Considerations.--In carrying out the authority described in
subsection (a), the Director, in consultation with appropriate Federal
agencies, shall leverage existing programs designed to inform the
public of safety and security of products or services, including self-
certifications and independently verified assessments regarding the
quantification and valuation of information security risk.
(c) Strategic Plan.--The Director, in cooperation with relevant
Federal agencies and other stakeholders, shall build upon programs and
plans in effect as of the date of enactment of this Act to develop and
implement a strategic plan to guide Federal programs and activities in
support of the national cybersecurity awareness and education program
under subsection (a).
(d) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, and every 5 years thereafter, the Director shall transmit the
strategic plan under subsection (c) to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives.
TITLE V--ADVANCEMENT OF CYBERSECURITY TECHNICAL STANDARDS
SEC. 501. DEFINITIONS.
In this title:
(1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
(2) Institute.--The term ``Institute'' means the National
Institute of Standards and Technology.
SEC. 502. INTERNATIONAL CYBERSECURITY TECHNICAL STANDARDS.
(a) In General.--The Director, in coordination with appropriate
Federal authorities, shall--
(1) as appropriate, ensure coordination of Federal agencies
engaged in the development of international technical standards
related to information system security; and
(2) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, develop and transmit to Congress a plan for ensuring
such Federal agency coordination.
(b) Consultation With the Private Sector.--In carrying out the
activities specified in subsection (a)(1), the Director shall ensure
consultation with appropriate private sector stakeholders.
SEC. 503. CLOUD COMPUTING STRATEGY.
(a) In General.--The Director, in coordination with the Office of
Management and Budget, in collaboration with the Federal Chief
Information Officers Council, and in consultation with other relevant
Federal agencies and stakeholders from the private sector, shall
continue to develop and encourage the implementation of a comprehensive
strategy for the use and adoption of cloud computing services by the
Federal Government.
(b) Activities.--In carrying out the strategy described under
subsection (a), the Director shall give consideration to activities
that--
(1) accelerate the development, in collaboration with the
private sector, of standards that address interoperability and
portability of cloud computing services;
(2) advance the development of conformance testing
performed by the private sector in support of cloud computing
standardization; and
(3) support, in coordination with the Office of Management
and Budget, and in consultation with the private sector, the
development of appropriate security frameworks and reference
materials, and the identification of best practices, for use by
Federal agencies to address security and privacy requirements
to enable the use and adoption of cloud computing services,
including activities--
(A) to ensure the physical security of cloud
computing data centers and the data stored in such
centers;
(B) to ensure secure access to the data stored in
cloud computing data centers;
(C) to develop security standards as required under
section 20 of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278g-3); and
(D) to support the development of the automation of
continuous monitoring systems.
SEC. 504. IDENTITY MANAGEMENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.
The Director shall continue a program to support the development of
voluntary and cost-effective technical standards, metrology, testbeds,
and conformance criteria, taking into account appropriate user
concerns--
(1) to improve interoperability among identity management
technologies;
(2) to strengthen authentication methods of identity
management systems;
(3) to improve privacy protection in identity management
systems, including health information technology systems,
through authentication and security protocols; and
(4) to improve the usability of identity management
systems.
Passed the Senate December 11, 2014.
Attest:
Secretary.
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 1353
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To provide for an ongoing, voluntary public-private partnership to
improve cybersecurity, and to strengthen cybersecurity research and
development, workforce development and education, and public awareness
and preparedness, and for other purposes.