A bill to infuse funds into state and local government budgets in order to fight cybercrime unanimously passed the House on Thursday, according to The Hill.
The State and Local Cyber Protection Act of 2015 [H.R. 3869], sponsored by Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), directs the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) – the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) cyber hub – to furnish training and guidance to bolster cyber protections.
Hurd has been a frequent critic of lapses in government safeguards. "State and local information systems host a wide range of sensitive personally identifiable information and critical infrastructure data, making them especially attractive for cyberattacks,” he said on Thursday.
His bill, he said, will enable state and local governments to plug into assistance, training and tools necessary to protect the nation's information systems at every level of government.
The legislation is now en route to the Senate.
