State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act of 2021

To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to provide for engagements with State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act of 2021 2. Amendments to the Homeland Security Act of 2002 Subtitle A of title XXII of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 ( 6 U.S.C. 651 et seq. (1) in section 2201 ( 6 U.S.C. 651 (7) SLTT entity The term SLTT entity ; and (2) in section 2209 ( 6 U.S.C. 659 (A) in subsection (c)(6), by inserting operational and timely (B) in subsection (d)(1)(E), by inserting , including an entity that collaborates with election officials, governments (C) by adding at the end the following: (p) Coordination on cybersecurity for SLTT entities (1) Coordination The Center shall, upon request and to the extent practicable, and in coordination as appropriate with Federal and non-Federal entities, such as the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center— (A) conduct exercises with SLTT entities; (B) provide operational and technical cybersecurity training to SLTT entities to address cybersecurity risks or incidents, with or without reimbursement, related to— (i) cyber threat indicators; (ii) defensive measures; (iii) cybersecurity risks; (iv) vulnerabilities; and (v) incident response and management; (C) in order to increase situational awareness and help prevent incidents, assist SLTT entities in sharing, in real time, with the Federal Government, as well as among SLTT entities, actionable— (i) cyber threat indicators; (ii) defensive measures; (iii) information about cybersecurity risks or vulnerabilities; and (iv) information about incidents; (D) provide SLTT entities notifications containing specific incident and malware information that may affect them or their residents; (E) provide to, and periodically update, SLTT entities via an easily accessible platform and other means— (i) information about tools; (ii) information about products; (iii) resources; (iv) policies; (v) guidelines; (vi) controls; and (vii) other cybersecurity standards and best practices and procedures related to information security; (F) work with senior SLTT entity officials, including chief information officers and senior election officials and through national associations, to coordinate the effective implementation by SLTT entities of tools, products, resources, policies, guidelines, controls, and standards and best practices and procedures related to information security to secure the information systems, including election systems, of SLTT entities; (G) provide operational and technical assistance to SLTT entities to implement tools, products, resources, policies, guidelines, controls, and standards and best practices and procedures on information security; (H) assist SLTT entities in developing policies and procedures for coordinating vulnerability disclosures consistent with international and national standards in the information technology industry; and (I) promote cybersecurity education and awareness through engagements with Federal agencies and non-Federal entities. (q) Report Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this subsection, and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives a report on the services and capabilities that the Agency directly and indirectly provides to SLTT entities. .

Summary: State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act of 2021 This bill provides for collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, as well as corporations, associations, and the general public, regarding cybersecurity. The bill expands DHS responsibilities through grants and cooperative agreements, including provision of assistance and education related to cyber threat indicators, defensive measures, cybersecurity risks or vulnerabilities, and incident response and management. The bill requires the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, upon request, to coordinate with entities such as the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center to engage in specified activities, including to (1) conduct exercises with state, local, tribal, or territorial government entities; (2) provide operational and technical cybersecurity training to such entities; and (3) promote cybersecurity education and awareness.