S. 658 

One Hundred Seventeenth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE SECOND SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday, 

the third day of January, two thousand and twenty two 

An Act 

To authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to work with cybersecurity consortia 

for training, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act of 2021’’. 

SEC. 2. NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY PREPAREDNESS CONSORTIUM. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may work with one or more 

consortia to support efforts to address cybersecurity risks and 

incidents. 

(b) ASSISTANCE TO DHS.—The Secretary may work with one 

or more consortia to carry out the Secretary’s responsibility pursuant to section 2202(e)(1)(P) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 

(6 U.S.C. 652(e)(1)(P)) to— 

(1) provide training and education to State, Tribal, and 

local first responders and officials specifically for preparing 

for and responding to cybersecurity risks and incidents, in 

accordance with applicable law; 

(2) develop and update a curriculum utilizing existing 

training and educational programs and models in accordance 

with section 2209 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 

U.S.C. 659), for State, Tribal, and local first responders and 

officials, related to cybersecurity risks and incidents; 

(3) provide technical assistance services, training, and educational programs to build and sustain capabilities in support 

of preparedness for and response to cybersecurity risks and 

incidents, including threats of acts of terrorism, in accordance 

with such section 2209; 

(4) conduct cross-sector cybersecurity training, education, 

and simulation exercises for entities, including State and local 

governments and Tribal organizations, critical infrastructure 

owners and operators, and private industry, to encourage 

community-wide coordination in defending against and 

responding to cybersecurity risks and incidents, in accordance 

with section 2210(c) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 

(6 U.S.C. 660(c)); 

(5) help States, Tribal organizations, and communities 

develop cybersecurity information sharing programs, in accordance with section 2209 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 

(6 U.S.C. 659), for the dissemination of homeland security 

information related to cybersecurity risks and incidents; 
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(6) help incorporate cybersecurity risk and incident prevention and response into existing State, Tribal, and local emergency plans, including continuity of operations plans; and 

(7) assist State governments and Tribal organizations in 

developing cybersecurity plans. 

(c) CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING SELECTION OF A CONSORTIUM.—In selecting a consortium with which to work under this 

Act, the Secretary shall take into consideration the following: 

(1) Prior experience conducting cybersecurity training, education, and exercises for State and local entities. 

(2) Geographic diversity of the members of any such consortium so as to maximize coverage of the different regions of 

the United States. 

(3) The participation in such consortium of one or more 

historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving 

institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, other minorityserving institutions, and community colleges that participate 

in the National Centers of Excellence in Cybersecurity program, 

as carried out by the Department of Homeland Security. 

(d) METRICS.—If the Secretary works with a consortium under 

subsection (a), the Secretary shall measure the effectiveness of 

the activities undertaken by the consortium under this Act. 

(e) OUTREACH.—The Secretary shall conduct outreach to universities and colleges, including, in particular, outreach to historically 

Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribal 

Colleges and Universities, other minority-serving institutions, and 

community colleges, regarding opportunities to support efforts to 

address cybersecurity risks and incidents, by working with the 

Secretary under subsection (a). 

(f) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section may be 

construed to authorize a consortium to control or direct any law 

enforcement agency in the exercise of the duties of the law enforcement agency. 

(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

(1) the term ‘‘community college’’ has the meaning given 

the term ‘‘junior or community college’’ in section 312 of the 

Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058); 

(2) the term ‘‘consortium’’ means a group primarily composed of nonprofit entities, including academic institutions, that 

develop, update, and deliver cybersecurity training and education in support of homeland security; 

(3) the terms ‘‘cybersecurity risk’’ and ‘‘incident’’ have the 

meanings given those terms in section 2209(a) of the Homeland 

Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 659(a)); 

(4) the term ‘‘Department’’ means the Department of Homeland Security; 

(5) the term ‘‘Hispanic-serving institution’’ has the meaning 

given the term in section 502 of the Higher Education Act 

of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a); 

(6) the term ‘‘historically Black college and university’’ has 

the meaning given the term ‘‘part B institution’’ in section 

322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061); 

(7) the term ‘‘minority-serving institution’’ means an 

institution of higher education described in section 371(a) of 

the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)); 

(8) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of Homeland 

Security; 
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(9) The term ‘‘State’’ means any State of the United States, 

the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 

the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, 

the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any 

possession of the United States; 

(10) the term ‘‘Tribal Colleges and Universities’’ has the 

meaning given the term in section 316 of the Higher Education 

Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c); and 

(11) the term ‘‘Tribal organization’’ has the meaning given 

the term in section 4(e) of the Indian Self-Determination and 

Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304(e)). 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.