Senators propose help for hacking the hackers

Bill would update counties on new information security resources developed by the national cybersecurity center  

New proposed legislation in the Senate would provide federal resources to state and local governments to combat cyber-attacks.

The State and Local Cyber Protection Act, introduced March 10 by Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and David Perdue (R-Ga.), would direct the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) to coordinate with state and local governments on securing their information systems. 

The bill would also provide state and local governments with access to up-to-date resources on information security resources developed by the NCCIC.  In addition the bill would institute training on cybersecurity, privacy and civil liberties; technical assistance to deploy technology that diagnoses and mitigates cyber threats; and access to DHS resources and other federal tools to ensure the security and resiliency of state and local civilian information systems.

“We applaud the introduction of the State and Local Cyber Protection Act by Senators. Peters and Perdue. In partnership with states, counties are often responsible for managing critical information that needs to be safeguarded for privacy and personal protection. Counties work to ensure the security of information that travels through our nation’s cyber systems,” NACo Executive Director Matt Chase said.

“We look forward to continuing to work with Congress on legislation that provides counties with the tools necessary to mitigate the risk of cyber-attacks.”

An identical version of the State and Local Cyber Protection Act (H.R. 3869) introduced by the House Information Technology Subcommittee Chair Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), passed the House by a voice vote, Dec.14, 2015.