Excellence in Cybersecurity Act - Requires the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish five Vertical Centers of Excellence on Cybersecurity to: (1) identify and analyze existing and future cybersecurity challenges faced by various industries, (2) create solutions and promote best practices to address such challenges, and (3) collaborate with individuals in those industries to share knowledge.
Requires the Director to select for each Center: (1) a manager, (2) an appropriate location, and (3) a particular industry to be the focus of its work.
Requires the Director and each manager to jointly select a group of experts to: (1) identify and analyze existing and future cybersecurity challenges faced by the industry selected for the Center; (2) create cost-effective, repeatable, and scalable solutions; (3) collaborate, convene discussions, and share knowledge with individuals in that industry; and (4) create educational programs to promote best practices for such individuals.
Directs each Center to: (1) work within the Cybersecurity Framework created pursuant to Executive Order 13636, entitled "Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity"; (2) collaborate with each of the other Centers; (3) encourage relationships among individuals in the industry selected for the Center; and (4) share best practices and lessons learned from the work of the Center with those individuals.
Requires the Director to submit to Congress a report describing the cybersecurity challenges, solutions, and best practices addressed by each Center.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2556 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2556
To provide for the establishment of Vertical Centers of Excellence on
Cybersecurity to create solutions to, and promote best practices for,
industry-specific cybersecurity challenges.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 27, 2013
Mr. Honda introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the establishment of Vertical Centers of Excellence on
Cybersecurity to create solutions to, and promote best practices for,
industry-specific cybersecurity challenges.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Excellence in Cybersecurity Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Cybercrime is one of the preeminent threats facing the
United States today, and presents a cumulative national
security, economic, and individual threat unlike any before it.
(2) The total global cost of cybercrime is estimated to be
$1,000,000,000,000 per year and represents one of the greatest
transfers of wealth in the history of the world.
(3) Cybercrime surveys have found that the solutions to
cybersecurity threats are multi-pronged and go beyond increased
data sharing and threat analysis.
(4) Many leaders of organizations do not know who is
responsible for the cybersecurity needs of their organization
or industry. These leaders also underestimate the capabilities
of their adversaries in cybercrime and the strategic,
financial, reputational, and regulatory risks those adversaries
pose to organizations.
(5) Security experts are not effectively communicating best
practices to address cyberthreats, cyberattacks, and defensive
technologies.
(6) Cybersecurity experts believe there are 4 key factors
that impact the vulnerability of an organization to cybercrime:
(A) Understanding the changes to and best practices
for the current threat environment.
(B) Strategy and execution of a cybersecurity
program.
(C) The identification of key assets in need of
protection.
(D) The ability to develop relationships with
similar organizations to develop protection within the
industry ecosystem.
(7) It is essential that the United States prioritize the
development of organizational relationships and best practices
of specific industries to help protect those industries against
threats to cybersecurity.
SEC. 3. VERTICAL CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE ON CYBERSECURITY.
(a) Establishment.--The Director of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology shall establish 5 Vertical Centers of
Excellence on Cybersecurity.
(b) Mission.--Each Center shall convene experts and individuals in
the industry that is the focus of the work of that Center for the
purposes of--
(1) identifying and analyzing existing and future
cybersecurity challenges faced by various industries;
(2) creating solutions and promoting best practices to
address such challenges; and
(3) collaborating with individuals in those industries to
share knowledge.
(c) Requirements.--In establishing each Center under subsection
(a), the Director, not later than 6 months after the date of enactment
of this Act, shall select--
(1) a particular industry that faces cybersecurity
challenges to be the focus of the work of that Center;
(2) a manager to be responsible for the administrative
functions of that Center; and
(3) the location of that Center pursuant to subsection (d).
(d) Location Requirements.--The Director shall seek to ensure that
each Center is located a sufficient geographical distance from another
Center and shall select a location for each Center based on--
(1) proximity to the geographical location of a number of
businesses operating in the industry selected pursuant to
subsection (c)(1);
(2) accessibility to the experts selected pursuant to
section 5; and
(3) the capacity of the facilities at the Center to
convene, and promote collaboration among, experts and
individuals in that industry.
(e) Partnerships.--The Director may establish partnerships with
public or nonprofit entities to provide services for a Center
established under subsection (a).
SEC. 4. DUTIES OF CENTERS.
(a) In General.--The Director and the manager of each Center shall
jointly select a group of experts, consistent with the requirements in
section 5, to carry out the duties described in subsection (b).
(b) Duties of Experts.--The experts at each Center shall--
(1) identify and analyze existing and future cybersecurity
challenges faced by the industry selected pursuant to section
2(c)(1);
(2) create solutions to those cybersecurity challenges that
are cost-effective, repeatable, and scalable;
(3) collaborate, convene discussions, and share knowledge
with individuals in that industry to accomplish the work of the
Center; and
(4) create educational programs to promote best practices
in cybersecurity for such individuals.
(c) Requirements of Centers.--Each Center shall--
(1) work within the Cybersecurity Framework created
pursuant to section 7 of Executive Order 13636, entitled
``Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity'' (78 Fed.
Reg. 11739);
(2) collaborate with each of the other Centers to share
relevant information;
(3) encourage the development of relationships among
individuals in the industry selected pursuant to section
2(c)(1); and
(4) share the best practices and lessons learned from the
work of the Center with those individuals.
(d) Confidentiality.--The Director, in consultation with
individuals in the industry selected pursuant to section 2(c)(1), shall
establish procedures to ensure the confidentiality of the information
handled by the Centers. The Centers shall be exempt from the
requirements set forth in section 552(b) of title 5, United States Code
(commonly known as the Freedom of Information Act).
SEC. 5. REQUIREMENTS FOR EXPERTS.
(a) Number and Compensation.--The Director shall determine--
(1) the number of experts at each Center; and
(2) the compensation for each expert selected.
(b) Qualifications.--Experts shall have experience in government,
academia, or the particular industry that is the focus of the work of
the Center, and any other qualifications the Director may determine.
SEC. 6. REPORT.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Director shall submit a report to Congress describing the cybersecurity
challenges, solutions, and best practices addressed by each Center.
SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Center.--The term ``Center'' means a Vertical Center of
Excellence on Cybersecurity established under section 2(a).
(2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Director for each of
fiscal years 2014 through 2019 $25,000,000 to carry out this Act.
Amounts appropriated pursuant to this section shall be subdivided into
5 equal amounts to be distributed to each Center.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Research and Technology.
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