Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship Program Act of 2017

Summary: Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship Program Act of 2017 This bill designates the existing Department of Defense (DOD) information assurance scholarship and grant program as the Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship Program to provide financial assistance (with consideration given to whether the recipient is, or the pursuit of the degree is at, a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education designated by the National Security Agency) to: (1) persons pursuing information assurance degrees or certifications at institutions of higher education in exchange for an agreement to serve on active duty in the armed forces or as a DOD employee for a designated period; and (2) institutions of higher education to support development of faculty, curriculum, laboratories, and research for information assurance disciplines. Not less than 5% of the amounts available for scholarship financial assistance must be available for the pursuit of associate degrees.  DOD must submit a plan for reinvigorating the program. 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Department of Defense Cyber 
Scholarship Program Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. REINVIGORATING AND MODIFYING THE INFORMATION ASSURANCE 
              SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.

    (a) Findings and Sense of Congress.--
            (1) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
                    (A) Cyber threats to United States interests posed 
                by state and non-state actors are growing as the United 
                States becomes increasingly reliant on the Internet and 
                cyberspace for critical services.
                    (B) A well-trained workforce is essential to 
                meeting the increasing cybersecurity needs of the 
                United States.
                    (C) The Department of Defense Cyber Strategy, 
                issued in April 2015, cites building the cyber 
                workforce among its objectives for achieving the 
                essential strategic goal of building and maintaining 
                ready forces and capabilities to conduct cyberspace 
                operations.
                    (D) Specifically, the strategy stresses the 
                importance of improving civilian recruitment and 
                retention for fulfilling the cyber missions of the 
                Department of Defense.
                    (E) Many community colleges offer degrees or 
                industry-recognized credentials in cybersecurity and 
                related fields that prepare students to fill high 
                demand cybersecurity jobs.
                    (F) The Information Assurance Scholarship Program 
                of the Department of Defense and the National Security 
                Agency promotes recruitment, education, and retention 
                of cybersecurity professionals.
                    (G) Since 2001, the Information Assurance 
                Scholarship Program has supported individuals pursuing 
                cybersecurity education and training in exchange for 
                government service.
                    (H) Since 2013, budgetary considerations have 
                resulted in reductions to funding for Information 
                Assurance Scholarship Program.
                    (I) The efforts of the Department of Defense to 
                build a cybersecurity workforce capable of defending 
                against and responding to cyber threats should include 
                reinvigorating the Information Assurance Scholarship 
                Program and supporting cybersecurity degree programs at 
                United States educational institutions.
            (2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
        the Secretary of Defense should--
                    (A) consider the Information Assurance Scholarship 
                Program to be a critical cybersecurity effort of the 
                Chief Information Officer of the Department of Defense;
                    (B) continue to support programs at 2-year 
                institutions of higher education that help students 
                develop skills necessary to support the cybersecurity 
                missions of the United States; and
                    (C) restore funding to the program to recruit and 
                retain new scholarship recipients and build capacity at 
                institutions of higher education.
    (b) Modification of Information Assurance Scholarship Program.--
            (1) Designation of program.--Section 2200a of title 10, 
        United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
        following new subsection:
    ``(h) Designation of Program.--A program under which the Secretary 
provides financial assistance under subsection (a) of this section and 
grants under section 2200b of this title shall be known as the 
`Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship Program'.''.
            (2) Allocation of funding.--Subsection (f) of such section 
        is amended--
                    (A) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``Not less''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                paragraph:
    ``(2) Not less than five percent of the amount available for 
financial assistance under this section for a fiscal year shall be 
available for providing financial assistance for the pursuit of an 
associate degree.''.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Defense to provide financial 
assistance under section 2200a of such title, as amended by subsection 
(b), and grants under section 2200b of such title, $10,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2018.
    (d) Reinvigoration Plan Required.--Not later than September 30, 
2018, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional 
defense committees (as defined in section 101(a) of such title) a plan 
for reinvigorating the Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship Program, 
as designated by section 2200a(h) of such title, as added by subsection 
(b)(1) of this section.