HR 8469 Introduced - Diverse Cybersecurity Workforce
Back in May, Rep Brown (D,OH) introduced HR 8469, the Diverse Cybersecurity Workforce Act of 2024. The bill would require CISA to establish, within their current Cybersecurity Education and Training Assistance Program (CETAP), a new program to promote the cybersecurity field to disadvantaged communities. It would authorize $20 million per year through 2030 to support the program.
Definitions
Section 2(f) provides definitions of key terms used in the legislation. All of the terms defined refer to the various categories of personnel who would form the ‘disadvantaged communities’ that the program would support.
The Program
Section 2(a) requires CISA to establish within the existing CETAP framework a new program “to promote the cybersecurity field to disadvantaged communities, including older individuals, racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, geographically diverse communities, socioeconomically diverse communities, women, individuals from nontraditional educational paths, individuals who are veterans, and individuals who were formerly incarcerated.”
Section 2(b) requires CISA to conduct an outreach program “to different institutions to raise awareness of and promote the cybersecurity workforce”. The outreach program would target educators, unions, chambers of commerce, State and local workforce development offices, private sector entities, community colleges, and parents of K-12 students”.
Moving Forward
While Brown is not a member of the House Homeland Security Committee to which this bill was assigned for consideration, four of her cosponsors {Rep Carter (D,LA), Rep Ramirez (D,IL), Rep Thompson (D,MS), Rep Goldman (D,NY), and Rep Jackson-Lee (D,TX)} are members. This means that there may be sufficient influence to see the bill considered in Committee, but with the lack of any Republican cosponsor (because this is, after all a diversity program), and adding a new program to CISA’s workforce development slate, means that the legislation will have a hard-time getting enough support form committee republicans to be able to move the program to the floor of the House under the suspension of the rules process.