[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 185 (Wednesday, November 8, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H5549]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         CYBERSECURITY TRAINING

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, last week, I introduced 
the Cybersecurity Skills Integration Act with Congresswoman and co-
chair of the Career and Technical Education Caucus, Suzanne Bonamici.
  In high-risk critical infrastructure sectors, like 
telecommunications, agriculture, or healthcare, a workforce with basic 
cyber skills is essential to our public safety. Unfortunately, many 
skilled workers lack any cybersecurity training specific to the systems 
they work on daily.
  Our society is increasingly reliant on cyber technologies for our 
most critical infrastructure. As bad actors increase cyberattacks, we 
must ensure we are protecting our most sensitive data. This legislation 
empowers the next generation of learners to have the most sophisticated 
and comprehensive education to better protect our essential systems and 
assets for years to come.
  The bipartisan Cybersecurity Skills Integration Act would fund the 
development of critical infrastructure CTE programs that integrate 
cybersecurity. This is a bipartisan issue that both the Trump and Biden 
administrations have placed increased focus on.

  This legislation would align CTE programs with industry needs by 
giving businesses a seat at the table with postsecondary institutions 
crafting programs that ensure students are learning relevant skills, 
including cybersecurity competencies.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it.

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