Security News > 2020 > January > New Legislation Would Require a Cybersecurity Coordinator in Every State
Four United States Senators have introduced a bipartisan bill that would require the Department of Homeland Security to establish a Cybersecurity State Coordinator program, with each of the 50 states having its own federally funded Cybersecurity Coordinator.
Proposed by Senators Maggie Hassan, John Cornyn, Rob Portman, and Gary Peters, each state Cybersecurity Coordinator would be responsible for helping to prevent and respond to cybersecurity threats by working with federal, state, and local governments as well as schools, hospitals, and other organizations.
"Cybersecurity for state and local governments is just as important as federal cybersecurity, and frequently, they lack the resources, technical know-how, and situational awareness to secure their systems, or respond in the event of an attack," added Portman.
"This bipartisan bill," he says, "Would help bolster state and local governments' cybersecurity by facilitating their relationship with the federal government to ensure they know what preventative resources are available to them as well as who to turn to if an attack occurs."
"With cyber threats becoming more sophisticated and formidable every day, it's vital that states have a point person responsible for coordinating cybersecurity efforts with experts in the federal government," said Senator Peters, Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.