I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1981 
To codify an office within the Department of Homeland Security with the 
mission of strengthening the capacity of the agency to attract and retain 
highly trained computer and information security professionals, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 6, 2017 
Ms. JACKSON LEE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Com-
mittees on Science, Space, and Technology, and Homeland Security, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To codify an office within the Department of Homeland 
Security with the mission of strengthening the capacity 
of the agency to attract and retain highly trained com-
puter and information security professionals, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Cyber Security Education and Federal Workforce En-
hancement Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings. 
TITLE I—DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY K–12 
EXCELLENCE IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 
Sec. 101. Office of Cybersecurity Education and Awareness. 
Sec. 102. Science and technology initiative grants. 
Sec. 103. Project-based learning program. 
Sec. 104. Matching funds for State and privately financed science and tech-
nology after-school programs. 
Sec. 105. Science and Technology Board of Advisors. 
Sec. 106. Laboratories for science and technology excellence. 
TITLE II—POST-SECONDARY COMPUTER AND INFORMATION 
SECURITY EDUCATION 
Sec. 201. Computing and Information Research Working Group. 
Sec. 202. Process for adoption research and a best practices voluntary guide-
lines for laboratory facilities. 
Sec. 203. Computing and information security mentoring programs for college 
students. 
Sec. 204. Grants for computer equipment. 
Sec. 205. Centers of Academic Computing and Information Assurance. 
TITLE III—FEDERAL WORKFORCE COMPUTER AND INFORMATION 
SECURITY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 
Sec. 301. Lifelong learning in computer and information security study. 
Sec. 302. Computer and information security job opportunities program. 
Sec. 303. Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity training programs 
and equipment. 
Sec. 304. E-Security Fellows Program. 
TITLE IV—RESEARCH 
Sec. 401. National Science Foundation study on science and technology student 
retention. 
Sec. 402. Challenge Grants. 
Sec. 403. E-Security Fellows Program. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
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(1) The Department of Homeland Security’s 
Cybersecurity Education & Awareness (CE&A) 
Branch was established under National Security 
Presidential Directive–54/Homeland Security Presi-
dential Directive–23, which launched the 2008 Com-
prehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative. There 
is no appropriations language that references CE&A; 
it is funded through the Infrastructure Protection 
and Information Security appropriation under the 
National Protection and Programs Directorate. 
(2) The Department of Homeland Security’s 
CE&A works with universities to attract top talent 
through competitive scholarship, fellowship, and in-
ternship programs. 
(3) The agency certifies more than 125 institu-
tions nationwide as National Centers for Academic 
Excellence to teach students valuable technical skills 
in various disciplines of Information Assurance. 
(4) The CE&A prepares and makes available 
computer and information security lesson plans. At 
the K–12 level, the Department has partnered with 
USA Today to provide lesson plans about the impor-
tance of prevention of computer and digital informa-
tion crimes at home and in the classroom. 
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(5) The agency initiated the IT Security Essen-
tial Body of Knowledge (EBK). The National Cyber-
security Division developed the EBK to establish a 
national baseline of the essential knowledge and 
skills that IT security practitioners in the public and 
private sector should have to perform specific roles 
and responsibilities. 
(6) The challenge for computer and information 
security coordination and development is no single 
agreed upon voluntary taxonomy nor definitions to 
rely upon when categorizing or classifying computer 
or information security jobs. 
(7) The fields of computer and information se-
curity study is within the field of information assur-
ance. 
(8) The information assurance, cybersecurity 
and computer security workforce encompasses a va-
riety of context, roles, and occupations and is too 
broad and diverse to be treated as a single occupa-
tion or profession. 
(9) Science, technology, engineering, and math-
ematics occupations, which include computer and in-
formation security experts and professionals, are ex-
pected to grow by 17 percent by the year 2018 com-
pared to 9.8 percent for other jobs. 
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(10) The Federal Government is experiencing a 
shortage of qualified professionals with expertise in 
computer and information security. 
(11) Insufficiently trained, educated, or super-
vised Federal computer workers can reduce the Na-
tion’s ability to secure computer networks from 
cyber attacks or incidents. 
(12) The computing and information security 
workforce encompasses a variety of context, roles, 
and occupations and is too broad an diverse to be 
treated as a single occupation or profession. 
(13) Computing and information security is not 
solely a technical endeavor, and thus encompasses a 
wide range of backgrounds and skills that will be 
needed in an effective national computing and infor-
mation security workforce. 
(14) The route toward professionalization of a 
field of study can be slow and difficult, and not all 
portions of a field can or should be professionalized 
at the same time. 
(15) It is essential, just as it is for other dis-
ciplines like medicine and the law, that academics, 
employers, and government share a common lan-
guage to identify, train, educate, and employ com-
puter and information security professionals. 
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(16) The secure management of digital sensitive 
information collected maintained or transmitted by 
Federal Government agencies, including taxpayer 
data, Social Security records, medical records, intel-
lectual property, proprietary business information, 
and sensitive Government data vital to national se-
curity and national defense requires an educated and 
well-trained, as well as supervised, Federal work-
force. 
(17) It is in the Nation’s interest to promote 
opportunities for science and technology education 
and employment as a means of addressing the need 
to fill computer and information security jobs within 
the Federal Government. 
(18) The Department of Homeland Security’s 
role is to lead, champion, and sustain the develop-
ment of a national information assurance, cybersecu-
rity and computer security workforce, as well as to 
educate the citizenry. 
(19) Developing, implementing, and articulating 
programs that protect against and respond to com-
puter and information security threats and hazards 
to the Homeland’s security. 
(20) The Department of Homeland Security 
must create an agile, diverse workforce and digital 
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citizenry that are capable of sustaining a safe, se-
cure, resilient computer and information security 
space, driven by a dynamic Department organization 
at the forefront of cross-sector computer and infor-
mation security workforce development. 
TITLE 
I—DEPARTMENT 
OF 
HOMELAND 
SECURITY 
K–12 
EXCELLENCE 
IN 
SCIENCE 
AND TECHNOLOGY 
SEC. 101. OFFICE OF CYBERSECURITY EDUCATION AND 
AWARENESS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle C of title II of the Home-
land Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 141 et seq.) is amend-
ed by adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 230A. OFFICE OF CYBERSECURITY EDUCATION AND 
AWARENESS. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There shall be within the 
Department an Office of Cybersecurity Education and 
Awareness Branch (hereinafter in this section referred to 
as the ‘Office’). 
‘‘(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Office shall be respon-
sible for carrying out the duties of the Office as directed 
by the Secretary. The Office shall also report to the Sec-
retary the ongoing work of the Office. Further, the Office 
shall report on the statutory authority, Executive orders 
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or agency directives that guide the work of the Office. The 
Office shall report to the Secretary what additional au-
thority is needed to fulfill the mission for the Office as 
outlined by the section. The Office shall also conduct re-
search and make recommendations to the Secretary to the 
extent that the agency can effectively engage in the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(1) Recruiting, retaining, and sustaining the 
skills and knowledge of information assurance, cy-
bersecurity and computer security professionals in 
the Department of Homeland Security, hereinafter 
known as the ‘Department’. 
‘‘(2) Supporting kindergarten through grade 12 
science and technology and computer and informa-
tion safety education through grants, and training 
programs. 
‘‘(3) Supporting postsecondary information as-
surance, cybersecurity and computer security pro-
grams that provide education that benefits the mis-
sion and objective of the Department regarding re-
cruitment and retention of highly trained computing 
professionals who are work ready. 
‘‘(4) Promoting public knowledge of computer 
and information security competitions to provide 
computer and information security competition ad-
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