[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 151 (Thursday, December 11, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H9060-H9062]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ADVANCEMENT ACT OF
2014
Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in
the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 2952) to amend the Homeland
Security Act of 2002 to make certain improvements in the laws relating
to the advancement of security technologies for critical infrastructure
protection, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the Senate amendments is as follows:
Senate amendments:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Cybersecurity Workforce
Assessment Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act--
(1) the term ``Cybersecurity Category'' means a position's
or incumbent's primary work function involving cybersecurity,
which is further defined by Specialty Area;
(2) the term ``Department'' means the Department of
Homeland Security;
(3) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Homeland
Security; and
(4) the term ``Specialty Area'' means any of the common
types of cybersecurity work as recognized by the National
Initiative for Cybersecurity Education's National
Cybersecurity Workforce Framework report.
SEC. 3. CYBERSECURITY WORKFORCE ASSESSMENT AND STRATEGY.
(a) Workforce Assessment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 3 years,
the Secretary shall assess the cybersecurity workforce of the
Department.
(2) Contents.--The assessment required under paragraph (1)
shall include, at a minimum--
(A) an assessment of the readiness and capacity of the
workforce of the Department to meet its cybersecurity
mission;
(B) information on where cybersecurity workforce positions
are located within the Department;
(C) information on which cybersecurity workforce positions
are--
(i) performed by--
(I) permanent full-time equivalent employees of the
Department, including, to the greatest extent practicable,
demographic information about such employees;
(II) independent contractors; and
(III) individuals employed by other Federal agencies,
including the National Security Agency; or
(ii) vacant; and
(D) information on--
(i) the percentage of individuals within each Cybersecurity
Category and Specialty Area who received essential training
to perform their jobs; and
(ii) in cases in which such essential training was not
received, what challenges, if any, were encountered with
respect to the provision of such essential training.
(b) Workforce Strategy.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall--
(A) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, develop a comprehensive workforce strategy to
enhance the readiness, capacity, training, recruitment, and
retention of the cybersecurity workforce of the Department;
and
(B) maintain and, as necessary, update the comprehensive
workforce strategy developed under subparagraph (A).
(2) Contents.--The comprehensive workforce strategy
developed under paragraph (1) shall include a description
of--
(A) a multi-phased recruitment plan, including with respect
to experienced professionals, members of disadvantaged or
underserved communities, the unemployed, and veterans;
(B) a 5-year implementation plan;
(C) a 10-year projection of the cybersecurity workforce
needs of the Department;
(D) any obstacle impeding the hiring and development of a
cybersecurity workforce in the Department; and
(E) any gap in the existing cybersecurity workforce of the
Department and a plan to fill any such gap.
(c) Updates.--The Secretary submit to the appropriate
congressional committees annual updates on--
(1) the cybersecurity workforce assessment required under
subsection (a); and
(2) the progress of the Secretary in carrying out the
comprehensive workforce strategy required to be developed
under subsection (b).
SEC. 4. CYBERSECURITY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.
Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this
Act, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees 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 the Department for an agreed-upon period of time.
Amend the title so as to read: ``An Act to require the
Secretary of Homeland Security to assess the cybersecurity
workforce of the Department of Homeland Security and develop
a comprehensive workforce strategy, and for other
purposes.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Meehan) and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr.
Thompson) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
General Leave
Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
There was no objection.
Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2952, the Cybersecurity
Workforce Assessment Act. H.R. 2952 was originally passed by the House
as the Critical Infrastructure Research and Development Act of 2014.
The updated legislation passed this week by our Senate colleagues adds
important cybersecurity workforce provisions to the bill from what is
known as McCaul-Meehan, H.R. 3696.
As cyber attacks by hackers from around the world grow increasingly
sophisticated, it is more urgent than ever to improve our ability to
stop them. Currently, the Department of Homeland Security's National
Cybersecurity Communications and Integration Center, NCCIC, must
compete with big technology companies and cybersecurity firms for
cybersecurity workforce, while DHS is limited in its ability to attract
talented and well-trained cyber warriors.
H.R. 2952 will require the Secretary to assess the cybersecurity
workforce currently in DHS and develop a strategy to enhance it. The
assessment would look at cyber positions, readiness, training, types of
positions, and its ability to carry out its cyber mission, with the
ultimate goal of enhancing these capabilities and produce a recruitment
and implementation plan. Finally, the bill also requires the Secretary
to submit a report on the feasibility of establishing a cybersecurity
fellowship program.
This legislation along with the others we have brought up today are
important pieces in improving the overall capabilities of the
Department of Homeland Security and its ability to carry out its
cybersecurity mission. This is a critically important piece of
legislation which enables the Department of Homeland Security to
compete for what are very, very in-demand individuals with talent in
the area of cybersecurity and protections.
Most significantly, it allows us to have the kinds of quality of
individuals who can work in an equal capacity
[[Page H9061]]
with the best of those who are in our other governmental institutions,
and particularly those who are now working in the private sector. I
believe that the capacity for DHS to attract these workers is critical
to its mission. I continue to encourage the growth and development of
that expertise.
I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1000
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Senate amendment to H.R.
2952 that attaches the Cybersecurity Workforce Assessment Act.
For the Department of Homeland Security to be effective in its
cybersecurity mission, it must have a workforce in place to meet this
challenge. Yesterday, the House considered legislation to grant DHS
special hiring authority to secure talent in the competitive
cybersecurity employment marketplace.
The measure before you today includes language, authored by the
gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Clarke), that requires DHS to develop
and issue a comprehensive workforce strategy for the Department's
cybersecurity missions, and includes a 5-year implementation plan and a
10-year projection of the cybersecurity workforce needs of the
Department.
Cybersecurity is a complex mission for the Department and requires a
wide range of talent at all levels. Given the urgent nature of DHS'
recruitment efforts, it is essential that the Department have this
strategy in place.
Secondly, the bill requires the Department to assess the readiness
and capacity of its workforce to meet its cybersecurity missions.
Lastly, the urgent need to fill critical national security positions
often leads to an overreliance on contractors.
To encourage students to come to work for the government in this
vital arena, this legislation also directs DHS to develop a plan to
create a cybersecurity fellowship program. Under such a program, DHS
would pay a promising student's tuition in exchange for a commitment to
serve for a fixed period of time at the Department in a cybersecurity
position.
For all these reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 2952,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers, and I am prepared
to close once the gentleman does.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Clarke), the ranking member of the
Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security
Technologies, who actually--this legislation is what she has been
about.
Ms. CLARKE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Senate amendment to H.R. 2952.
As my ranking member, Mr. Thompson, has said, for the Department of
Homeland Security to be effective in its cybersecurity mission, it must
have a workforce in place to meet this challenge. A longstanding
interest of mine has been how best to help DHS meet its cyber workforce
needs.
To that end, I have authored legislation that the committee
unanimously approved in October to help ensure that DHS has the ``boots
on the ground'' it needs to meet its diverse cybersecurity mission.
I would like to thank Chairman Meehan for the support you have shown
for my efforts and the spirit of collaboration that you have shown.
This legislation requires DHS to develop and issue a comprehensive
workforce strategy for the Department's cybersecurity missions. The
Department is required to develop a 5-year implementation plan for that
strategy and a 10-year projection of the cybersecurity workforce needs
of the Department.
Before developing a strategy and implementation plan, it is important
that DHS conduct a workforce assessment to get a sense of the readiness
and capacity of the Department's cyber workforce.
It is also important that the Department determine where these
positions are located within the Department and whether these positions
are filled by permanent employees, independent contractors, detailees
from other Federal agencies, or are vacant.
The workforce assessment required under this bill requires DHS to do
just that.
Finally, I am glad that it directs DHS to develop a plan to establish
a cybersecurity fellowship program under which talented undergraduates
and doctoral candidates who sign on to work for the Department for an
agreed-upon period would be provided tuition assistance.
Establishment of just such a program could help encourage students to
come to work for the government in this vital arena.
I urge all of my colleagues to vote for the Senate amendment to H.R.
2952.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
In closing, the legislation under consideration today is a product of
bipartisan, bicameral negotiations. It has two parts: the core bill,
which addresses the overall direction of Federal physical security and
cybersecurity technology research and development efforts for
protecting critical infrastructure; and the Clarke cybersecurity
workforce amendment.
The language in both parts went through regular order and was
approved by the House.
Therefore, I urge passage of H.R. 2952.
Before I yield back, in case Ms. Clarke leaves, our committee has the
unfortunate task next year of losing the chair and ranking member of
this fine subcommittee, and I want to personally say that I really
appreciate the manner in which they worked together on not just
hearings but bringing forth good legislation to the full committee and,
ultimately, this legislation we are dealing with today. So, I
compliment both of them and we will miss them.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I want to thank the gentleman for his kind words and for his
cooperation. The ranking member helped to set a tone for the
collaboration on the committee, along with the leadership of our
chairman of the committee, the gentleman from Texas. From the
beginning, our focus was on working together to find solutions to the
important issues which don't have a Democrat or a Republican unique
perspective. It is an American perspective for us to put the priority
on protecting our homeland.
I want to particularly express my appreciation to the ranking member
of our subcommittee, the gentlewoman from New York, for all of her
collaboration and the delightful manner in which we had to work through
difficult issues together but, ultimately, got to compromise into
important resolutions on these issues and matters of importance.
I appreciate her foresight on this particular provision, which I am
pleased to strongly endorse. The reason for that is we are facing a
very challenging time globally with the issue of cybersecurity. We not
only have to worry about the impacts that can happen with cyber issues
for the kinds of materials that we have got in the private sector, that
they can be impacted, but we are also dealing in a very unsafe world in
which threats are not only the theft of information or interference
with systems, but the ability now for those who want to do us harm to
use the cyber network to carry out that harm. Therefore, it is more
critical than ever that we are able to attract to the Department of
Homeland Security, in fact into government, the kinds of people who are
prepared to be on the front lines of this battle.
This is exactly what this provision will enable us to do--first, to
attract people, and I am always inspired by them, because they have the
same sense and focus of dedication to their country that so many brave
men and women who sign up and serve us in uniform. While they are
serving in a different capacity, their service to our Nation is every
bit as real in the sense of the personal sacrifice that they make to
help us attract the best and the brightest to protect our assets. You
have to appreciate that many of them, once they get that expertise, are
very, very desirable to corporations and others in the business world
who will pay them significantly more to come to work for them.
So this idea of beginning to create the bullpen, so to speak, of the
next
[[Page H9062]]
generation of cyber-prepared warriors for our country is at the heart
of what the gentlewoman is trying to do, to enable universities and
others to develop these kinds of programs that support students who, in
return for some support for their education, will come to work for us.
That will get us the next level of individuals, and it will begin the
process of training those individuals, which we will need.
So this is, again, another important piece of our overall successful
approach to trying to create cybersecurity.
I urge all of the Members to join me in supporting this bill, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meehan) that the House suspend the
rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill, H.R. 2952.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the Senate amendment was concurred in.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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