I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2184 

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

expanding the cybersecurity education pipeline. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 27, 2017 

Mr. MCCAUL (for himself, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. THORNBERRY, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. RATCLIFFE, and Mr. RICHMOND) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, 

and Technology 

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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cyber Scholarship Op5 portunities Act of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

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

9 meeting the Nation’s growing cybersecurity needs. 


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

2 Public Administration found that the United States 

3 faces a severe shortage of properly trained and 

4 equipped cybersecurity professionals. 

5 (3) A 2015 study of the information security 

6 workforce found that the information security work7 force shortfall is widening. 

8 (4) The National Science Foundation’s 

9 CyberCorps: Scholarship-for-Service program is a 

10 successful effort to support capacity building in in11 stitutions of higher education and scholarships for 

12 students to pursue cybersecurity careers. 

13 SEC. 3. FEDERAL CYBER SCHOLARSHIP-FOR-SERVICE PRO14 GRAM. 

15 Section 302 of the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act 

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

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

18 following: ‘‘Scholarship recipients shall include eligi19 ble students who are pursuing an associate’s degree 

20 in a cybersecurity field without the intent of trans21 ferring to a bachelor’s degree program and either 

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

23 the Armed Forces.’’; 

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

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


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

2 agreement may include (if determined on a case-by3 case basis by the Director of the National Science 

4 Foundation to be appropriate and to further the 

5 goals of the scholarship-for-service program) an 

6 agreement for the recipient to work at an institution 

7 of higher education or for a local educational agency 

8 teaching cybersecurity skills for a period equal to the 

9 length of the scholarship following receipt of such 

10 degree.’’; 

11 (3) in subsection (f)— 

12 (A) by striking paragraph (3) and insert13 ing the following: 

14 ‘‘(3) have demonstrated a high level of com15 petency in relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities, 

16 as described in the national cybersecurity awareness 

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

18 (B) by striking paragraph (4) and insert19 ing the following: 

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

21 at a qualified institution of higher education, as de22 termined by the Director of the National Science 

23 Foundation, who is— 

24 ‘‘(A) a full-time student; or 


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

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

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

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

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(m) EVALUATION AND REPORT.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Na8 tional Science Foundation shall evaluate and make 

9 public, in a manner that protects the personally 

10 identifiable information of scholarship recipients, in11 formation on the success of recruiting individuals for 

12 scholarships under this section and on hiring and re13 taining those individuals in the public sector work14 force, including on— 

15 ‘‘(A) placement rates; 

16 ‘‘(B) where students are placed; 

17 ‘‘(C) student salary ranges for students 

18 not released from obligations under this section; 

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

20 placed; 

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

22 they enter upon graduation; 

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

24 obligations; 


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

2 are required; and 

3 ‘‘(H) the number of determinations permit4 ting scholarship recipients to fulfill their obliga5 tions at an institution of higher education or 

6 local educational agency pursuant to subsection 

7 (d) or in a critical infrastructure position pur8 suant to subsection (p)(1), and the reason for 

9 each such determination. 

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

11 National Science Foundation shall submit to Con12 gress a report containing the information described 

13 in paragraph (1) not later than 180 days after the 

14 date of enactment of the Cyber Scholarship Oppor15 tunities Act of 2017 and not less than once every 2 

16 years thereafter.’’; and 

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

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

19 Science Foundation shall work with the Director of the 

20 Office of Personnel Management to establish an online re21 source center for the CyberCorps community that consoli22 dates or eliminates other relevant websites, if possible. 

23 Such online resource center shall— 


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

2 about existing scholarship programs and job oppor3 tunities; 

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

5 careers; 

6 ‘‘(3) improve user friendliness; and 

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

8 positions by State, salary, and title. 

9 ‘‘(o) CYBERSECURITY AT KINDERGARTEN THROUGH

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

11 Foundation, in coordination with other Federal agencies 

12 as necessary, shall carry out a program to grow and im13 prove cybersecurity education at the kindergarten through 

14 grade 12 level that— 

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

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

17 online behavior and understand the foundational 

18 principles of cybersecurity; and 

19 ‘‘(3) improves teaching methods for delivering 

20 cybersecurity content for kindergarten through 

21 grade 12 computer science curricula. 

22 ‘‘(p) CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION.— 

23 Due to the need for skilled cybersecurity professionals to 

24 protect the Nation’s critical infrastructure, the Director 

25 of the National Science Foundation may— 


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

2 post-award employment obligations under this sec3 tion (on a case-by-case basis and in coordination 

4 with other Federal agencies) who agree to work in 

5 a critical infrastructure mission at a Federal Gov6 ernment corporation or a State, local, or tribal gov7 ernment-affiliated asset, system, or network that is 

8 considered to be part of a critical infrastructure sec9 tor as described in Presidential Policy Directive–21, 

10 issued February 12, 2013 (related to critical infra11 structure security and resilience), or any successor; 

12 and 

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

14 infrastructure protection training for students pur15 suing careers in cybersecurity. 

16 ‘‘(q) STUDIES.—The Director of the National Science 

17 Foundation, in coordination with the Director of the Of18 fice of Personnel Management, shall assess— 

19 ‘‘(1) the potential benefits and feasibility of 

20 granting scholarship awards under this section to 

21 students who do not possess a bachelor’s degree to 

22 pursue an associate’s degree or an industry-recog23 nized credential in a cybersecurity field; and 

24 ‘‘(2) how scholarship recipients with an agree25 ment to work at an institution of higher education 


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1 or local educational agency are supporting the cyber 

2 workforce pipeline.’’. 

Æ 


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