II 

Calendar No. 440 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 754 

[Report No. 115–263] 

To support meeting our Nation’s growing cybersecurity workforce needs by 

expanding the cybersecurity education pipeline. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 28, 2017 

Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mr. WICKER, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. PERDUE, Mr. NELSON, and Mr. THUNE) introduced the following bill; which was read twice 

and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

JUNE 5, 2018 

Reported by Mr. THUNE, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To support meeting our Nation’s growing cybersecurity workforce needs by expanding the cybersecurity education 

pipeline. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 754 RS

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cyber Scholarship Op3 portunities Act of 2017’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) A well-trained workforce is essential to 

7 meeting the Nation’s growing cybersecurity needs. 

8 (2) A 2015 report by the National Academy of 

9 Public Administration found that the United States 

10 faces a severe shortage of properly trained and 

11 equipped cybersecurity professionals. 

12 (3) A 2015 study of the information security 

13 workforce found that the information security work14 force shortfall is widening. 

15 (4) The National Science Foundation’s Cyber16 Corps: Scholarship-for-Service program is a success17 ful effort to support capacity building in institutions 

18 of higher education and scholarships for students to 

19 pursue cybersecurity careers. 

20 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

21 It is the sense of Congress that— 

22 (1) given the current need for cybersecurity 

23 professionals in the public and private sectors, Con24 gress and the Federal Government should support 

25 existing programs to boost their success; 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 754 RS

1 (2) the Federal Government should also build 

2 upon and develop existing programs to meet emerg3 ing challenges, such as the need to protect critical 

4 infrastructure and the greater need for cybersecurity 

5 professionals of various skill levels; 

6 (3) there is a need for greater engagement with 

7 students at the kindergarten through grade 12 level 

8 to recruit young people to pursue career paths in cy9 bersecurity; 

10 (4) many community colleges offer degrees or 

11 industry-recognized credentials in cybersecurity and 

12 related fields that prepare students to fill high-de13 mand cybersecurity jobs, and the Federal Govern14 ment should support programs at 2-year institutions 

15 of higher education that help students develop skills 

16 necessary to support the Nation’s cybersecurity mis17 sions; and 

18 (5) the Federal Government should expand ex19 isting programs to support re-training mid-career in20 dividuals, such as veterans of the Armed Forces, to 

21 fill cybersecurity positions. 

22 SEC. 4. FEDERAL CYBER SCHOLARSHIP-FOR-SERVICE PRO23 GRAM. 

24 Section 302 of the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act 

25 of 2014 (15 U.S.C. 7442) is amended— 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 754 RS

1 (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the 

2 following: ‘‘Not less than 5 percent of scholarships 

3 provided under this section shall be provided to eligi4 ble students who are pursuing an associate’s degree 

5 in a cybersecurity field without the intent of trans6 ferring to a bachelor’s degree program and either 

7 have a bachelor’s degree already or are veterans of 

8 the Armed Forces.’’; 

9 (2) in subsection (d), by adding at the end the 

10 following: ‘‘In the case of a scholarship recipient who 

11 is pursuing a doctoral or master’s degree, such 

12 agreement may include (if determined appropriate 

13 on a case-by-case basis by the Director of the Na14 tional Science Foundation) an agreement for the re15 cipient to work at an institution of higher education 

16 or for a local educational agency teaching cybersecu17 rity skills for a period equal to the length of the 

18 scholarship following receipt of such degree.’’; 

19 (3) in subsection (f)— 

20 (A) by striking paragraph (3) and insert21 ing the following: 

22 ‘‘(3) have demonstrated a high level of com23 petency in relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities, 

24 as described in the national cybersecurity awareness 

25 and education program under section 401;’’; and 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 754 RS

1 (B) by striking paragraph (4) and insert2 ing the following: 

3 ‘‘(4) be a student in an eligible degree program 

4 at a qualified institution of higher education, as de5 termined by the Director of the National Science 

6 Foundation, who is— 

7 ‘‘(A) a full-time student; or 

8 ‘‘(B) a student who is enrolled for study 

9 leading to a degree on a less than full-time 

10 basis but not less than half-time basis; and’’; 

11 (4) by striking subsection (m) and inserting the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘(m) EVALUATION AND REPORT.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Na15 tional Science Foundation shall evaluate and make 

16 public, in a manner that protects the personally 

17 identifiable information of scholarship recipients, in18 formation on the success of recruiting individuals for 

19 scholarships under this section and on hiring and re20 taining those individuals in the public sector work21 force, including on— 

22 ‘‘(A) placement rates; 

23 ‘‘(B) where students are placed; 

24 ‘‘(C) student salary ranges for students 

25 not released from obligations under this section; 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 754 RS

1 ‘‘(D) how long after graduation they are 

2 placed; 

3 ‘‘(E) how long they stay in the positions 

4 they enter upon graduation; 

5 ‘‘(F) how many students are released from 

6 obligations; and 

7 ‘‘(G) what (if any) remedial training needs 

8 are required. 

9 ‘‘(2) REGULAR REPORTS.—The Director of the 

10 National Science Foundation shall submit reports to 

11 Congress under paragraph (1) not less often than 

12 once every 5 years.’’; and 

13 (5) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(n) RESOURCES.—The Director of the National 

15 Science Foundation shall work with the Director of the 

16 Office of Personnel Management to provide adequate re17 sources to the CyberCorps community in the form of an 

18 online resource center, where all other relevant websites 

19 will be consolidated or eliminated, if possible. To the ex20 tent applicable, such websites shall— 

21 ‘‘(1) present up-to-date, accurate information 

22 about existing scholarship programs and job oppor23 tunities; 

24 ‘‘(2) present a modernized view of cybersecurity 

25 careers; 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 754 RS

1 ‘‘(3) improve user friendliness; and 

2 ‘‘(4) allow prospective job applicants to search 

3 positions by State, salary, and title. 

4 ‘‘(o) ADVERTISEMENTS.—The Director of the Na5 tional Science Foundation shall work with the Director of 

6 the Office of Personnel Management and State, local, and 

7 tribal agencies to advertise cybersecurity positions to 

8 scholarship recipients under this section, such as by 

9 hosting, in coordination with such office and agencies, a 

10 virtual job fair for scholarship recipients. 

11 ‘‘(p) CYBERSECURITY AT KINDERGARTEN THROUGH

12 GRADE 12 LEVEL.—The Director of the National Science 

13 Foundation, in coordination with other Federal agencies 

14 as necessary, shall carry out a program to grow and im15 prove cybersecurity education at the kindergarten through 

16 grade 12 level that— 

17 ‘‘(1) increases interest in cybersecurity careers; 

18 ‘‘(2) helps students practice correct and safe 

19 online behavior and understand the foundational 

20 principles of cybersecurity; and 

21 ‘‘(3) improves teaching methods for delivering 

22 cybersecurity content for kindergarten through 

23 grade 12 computer science curricula. 

24 ‘‘(q) CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION.— 

25 Due to the need for skilled cybersecurity professionals to 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 754 RS

1 protect the Nation’s critical infrastructure, the Director 

2 of the National Science Foundation may— 

3 ‘‘(1) grant exceptions to students for fulfilling 

4 post-award employment obligations under this sec5 tion (on a case-by-case basis and in coordination 

6 with other Federal agencies) who agree to work in 

7 a critical infrastructure mission at a Federal Gov8 ernment corporation or a State, local, or tribal gov9 ernment-affiliated asset, system, or network that is 

10 considered to be part of a critical infrastructure sec11 tor as described in Presidential Policy Directive–21, 

12 issued February 12, 2013 (related to critical infra13 structure security and resilience), or any successor; 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(2) develop a pilot program to enhance critical 

16 infrastructure protection training for students pur17 suing careers in cybersecurity. 

18 ‘‘(r) STUDY.—The Director of the National Science 

19 Foundation, in coordination with the Director of the Of20 fice of Personnel Management, shall assess the potential 

21 benefits and feasibility of granting scholarship awards 

22 under this section to students who do not possess a bach23 elor’s degree to pursue an associate’s degree or an indus24 try-recognized credential in a cybersecurity field.’’. 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
9 

•S 754 RS

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cyber Scholarship Op3 portunities Act of 2017’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) A well-trained workforce is essential to meet7 ing the Nation’s cybersecurity needs. 

8 (2) An October 2015 report by the National 

9 Academy of Public Administration entitled ‘‘Increas10 ing the Effectiveness of the Federal Role in Cybersecu11 rity Education’’ noted that the United States faces a 

12 severe shortage of properly trained and equipped cy13 bersecurity professionals in both the government and 

14 private sector workforce. 

(3) The 2015 (ISC) 15 2 Global Information Secu16 rity Workshop Study stated that ‘‘the information se17 curity workforce shortfall is widening.’’ 

18 (4) The National Science Foundation’s Federal 

19 Cyber Scholarship-for-Service program is a successful 

20 effort to support capacity building in institutions of 

21 higher education and scholarships for students to pur22 sue cybersecurity careers. 

23 SEC. 3. COMMUNITY COLLEGE CYBER PILOT PROGRAM AND 

24 ASSESSMENT. 

25 (a) PILOT PROGRAM.—Not later than 1 year after the 

26 date of enactment of this Act, as part of the Federal Cyber 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
10 

•S 754 RS

1 Scholarship-for-Service program established under section 

2 302 of the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014 (15 

3 U.S.C. 7442), the Director of the National Science Founda4 tion, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Per5 sonnel Management, shall develop and implement a pilot 

6 program at not more than 10, but at least 5, community 

7 colleges to provide scholarships to eligible students who— 

8 (1) are pursuing associate degrees or specialized 

9 program certifications in the field of cybersecurity; 

10 and 

11 (2)(A) have bachelor’s degrees; or 

12 (B) are veterans of the armed forces. 

13 (b) ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

14 of enactment of this Act, as part of the Federal Cyber Schol15 arship-for-Service program established under section 302 of 

16 the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014 (15 U.S.C. 

17 7442), the Director of the National Science Foundation, in 

18 coordination with the Director of the Office of Personnel 

19 Management, shall assess the potential benefits and feasi20 bility of providing scholarships through community colleges 

21 to eligible students who are pursuing associate degrees, but 

22 do not have bachelor’s degrees. 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
11 

•S 754 RS

1 SEC. 4. FEDERAL CYBER SCHOLARSHIP-FOR SERVICE PRO2 GRAM UPDATES. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 302 of the Cybersecurity 

4 Enhancement Act of 2014 (15 U.S.C. 7442) is amended— 

5 (1) by striking subsection (b)(3) and inserting 

6 the following: 

7 ‘‘(3) prioritize the employment placement of at 

8 least 80 percent of scholarship recipients in an execu9 tive agency (as defined in section 105 of title 5, 

10 United States Code); and 

11 ‘‘(4) provide awards to improve cybersecurity 

12 education at the kindergarten through grade 12 

13 level— 

14 ‘‘(A) to increase interest in cybersecurity 

15 careers; 

16 ‘‘(B) to help students practice correct and 

17 safe online behavior and understand the 

18 foundational principles of cybersecurity; 

19 ‘‘(C) to improve teaching methods for deliv20 ering cybersecurity content for kindergarten 

21 through grade 12 computer science curricula; 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(D) to promote teacher recruitment in the 

24 field of cybersecurity.’’; 

25 (2) by amending subsection (d) to read as fol26 lows: 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
12 

•S 754 RS

1 ‘‘(d) POST-AWARD EMPLOYMENT OBLIGATIONS.—Each 

2 scholarship recipient, as a condition of receiving a scholar3 ship under the program, shall enter into an agreement 

4 under which the recipient agrees to work for a period equal 

5 to the length of the scholarship, following receipt of the stu6 dent’s degree, in the cybersecurity mission of— 

7 ‘‘(1) an executive agency (as defined in section 

8 105 of title 5, United States Code); 

9 ‘‘(2) Congress, including any agency, entity, of10 fice, or commission established in the legislative 

11 branch; 

12 ‘‘(3) an interstate agency; 

13 ‘‘(4) a State, local, or tribal government; or 

14 ‘‘(5) a State, local, or tribal government-affili15 ated non-profit that is considered to be critical infra16 structure (as defined in section 1016(e) of the USA 

17 Patriot Act (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e))).’’; 

18 (3) in subsection (f)— 

19 (A) by amending paragraph (3) to read as 

20 follows: 

21 ‘‘(3) have demonstrated a high level of com22 petency in relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities, as 

23 defined by the national cybersecurity awareness and 

24 education program under section 401;’’; and 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
13 

•S 754 RS

1 (B) by amending paragraph (4) to read as 

2 follows: 

3 ‘‘(4) be a full-time student in an eligible degree 

4 program at a qualified institution of higher edu5 cation, as determined by the Director of the National 

6 Science Foundation, except that in the case of a stu7 dent who is enrolled in a community college, be a stu8 dent pursuing a degree on a less than full-time basis, 

9 but not less than half-time basis; and’’; and 

10 (4) by amending subsection (m) to read as fol11 lows: 

12 ‘‘(m) PUBLIC INFORMATION.— 

13 ‘‘(1) EVALUATION.—The Director of the National 

14 Science Foundation, in coordination with the Direc15 tor of the Office of Personnel Management, shall peri16 odically evaluate and make public, in a manner that 

17 protects the personally identifiable information of 

18 scholarship recipients, information on the success of 

19 recruiting individuals for scholarships under this sec20 tion and on hiring and retaining those individuals in 

21 the public sector cyber workforce, including on— 

22 ‘‘(A) placement rates; 

23 ‘‘(B) where students are placed, including 

24 job titles and descriptions; 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
14 

•S 754 RS

1 ‘‘(C) student salary ranges for students not 

2 released from obligations under this section; 

3 ‘‘(D) how long after graduation they are 

4 placed; 

5 ‘‘(E) how long they stay in the positions 

6 they enter upon graduation; 

7 ‘‘(F) how many students are released from 

8 obligations; and 

9 ‘‘(G) what, if any, remedial training is re10 quired. 

11 ‘‘(2) REPORTS.—The Director of the National 

12 Science Foundation, in coordination with the Office 

13 of Personnel Management, shall submit, at least once 

14 every 3 years, to the Committee on Commerce, 

15 Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 

16 Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

17 House of Representatives a report, including the re18 sults of the evaluation under paragraph (1) and any 

19 recent statistics regarding the size, composition, and 

20 educational requirements of the Federal cyber work21 force. 

22 ‘‘(3) RESOURCES.—The Director of the National 

23 Science Foundation, in coordination with the Direc24 tor of the Office of Personnel Management, shall pro25 vide consolidated and user-friendly online resources 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
15 

•S 754 RS

1 for prospective scholarship recipients, including, to 

2 the extent practicable— 

3 ‘‘(A) searchable, up-to-date, and accurate 

4 information about participating institutions of 

5 higher education and job opportunities related to 

6 the field of cybersecurity; and 

7 ‘‘(B) a modernized description of cybersecu8 rity careers.’’. 

9 (b) SAVINGS PROVISION.—Nothing in this section, or 

10 an amendment made by this section, shall affect any agree11 ment, scholarship, loan, or repayment, under section 302 

12 of the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014 (15 U.S.C. 

13 7442), in effect on the day before the date of enactment of 

14 this Act. 

15 SEC. 5. CYBERSECURITY TEACHING. 

16 Section 10A(i) of the National Science Foundation Au17 thorization Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 1862n-1(i)) is amend18 ed— 

19 (1) by amending paragraph (5) to read as fol20 lows: 

21 ‘‘(5) the term ‘mathematics and science teacher’ 

22 means a science, technology, engineering, mathe23 matics, or computer science, including cybersecurity, 

24 teacher at the elementary school or secondary school 

25 level;’’; and 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
16 

•S 754 RS

1 (2) by amending paragraph (7) to read as fol2 lows: 

3 ‘‘(7) the term ‘science, technology, engineering, or 

4 mathematics professional’ means an individual who 

5 holds a baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degree in 

6 science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or com7 puter science, including cybersecurity, and is working 

8 in or had a career in such field or a related area; 

9 and’’. 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS

sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
Calendar No. 440 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 754 

[Report No. 115–263] 

A BILL 

To support meeting our Nation’s growing cybersecurity education pipeline. curity workforce needs by expanding the cyberseJUNE 5, 2018 

Reported with an amendment 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS