I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8215 
To improve cybersecurity practices and improve digital literacy among 
veterans, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 23, 2022 
Ms. SLOTKIN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To improve cybersecurity practices and improve digital 
literacy among veterans, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans Online Infor-
mation and Cybersecurity Empowerment Act of 2022’’ or 
the ‘‘VOICE Act of 2022’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Researchers have documented persistent, 
pervasive, and coordinated online targeting of mem-
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bers of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their fami-
lies by foreign adversaries seeking to undermine 
United States democracy in part because of public 
trust placed in these communities. Government 
agencies and researchers have also documented the 
targeting of veterans by fraudsters, especially online 
scammers, seeking to steal their government bene-
fits. 
(2) According to the Federal Trade Commis-
sion, fraud costs veterans, members of the Armed 
Forces, and their families $267,000,000 in 2021. 
This was a 162-percent increase from 2020 and the 
median loss for these scam victims was $600, 20 
percent higher than for the median loss for the gen-
eral public. According to a 2017 survey conducted 
by the American Association of Retired Persons 
(AARP) veterans are twice as likely to unknowingly 
participate in a scam compared to the general popu-
lation and an estimated 16 percent of veterans re-
port having losing some money to fraud, while 78 
percent report encountering scams that have explic-
itly designed to exploit their military service. 
(3) At the same time, adversaries from Russia, 
China, and Iran are using information warfare to in-
fluence democracies across the world, and extremist 
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organizations often use digital communications to re-
cruit members. Influence campaigns from foreign 
adversaries reached tens of millions of voters during 
the 2016 and 2018 elections with racially and divi-
sively targeted messages. The United States can 
fight these influences by ensuring that citizens of 
the United States possess the necessary skills to dis-
cern disinformation and misinformation and protect 
themselves from foreign influence campaigns. 
(4) The Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
Senate found in its investigation of the interference 
in the 2016 election that social media posts by the 
Internet Research Agency (IRA) of Russia reached 
tens of millions of voters in 2016 and were meant 
to pit the people of the United States against one 
another and sow discord. Volume II of the Commit-
tee’s investigation found that the Internet Research 
Agency’s Instagram account with the second largest 
reach used the handle ‘‘@american.veterans’’ and 
was ‘‘aimed at patriotic, conservative audiences, col-
lected 215,680 followers, and generated nearly 18.5 
million engagements.’’. 
(5) A 2019 investigative report by the Vietnam 
Veterans of America (VVA) titled ‘‘An Investigation 
into Foreign Entities who are Targeting Troops and 
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Veterans Online’’, found that the Internet Research 
Agency targeted veterans and the followers of sev-
eral congressionally chartered veterans service orga-
nizations with at least 113 advertisements during 
and following the 2016 election and that ‘‘this rep-
resents a fraction of the Russian activity that tar-
geted this community with divisive propaganda.’’. 
The report also found that foreign actors have been 
impersonating veterans through social-media ac-
counts and interacting with veterans and veterans 
groups on social media to spread propaganda and 
disinformation. To counter these acts, Vietnam Vet-
erans of America recommended that the Department 
of Veterans Affairs ‘‘immediately develop plans to 
make the cyber-hygiene of veterans an urgent pri-
ority within the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
The VA must educate and train veterans on per-
sonal cybersecurity: how to mitigate vulnerabilities, 
vigilantly maintain safe practices, and recognize 
threats, including how to identify instances of online 
manipulation.’’. 
(6) The Cyberspace Solarium Commission, a bi-
cameral and bipartisan commission, established by 
section 1652 of the John S. McCain National De-
fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Pub-
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lic Law 115–232), concluded in its finished report 
that the ‘‘U.S. government should promote digital 
literacy, civics education, and public awareness to 
build societal resilience to foreign, malign cyber-en-
abled information operations and that the U.S. gov-
ernment must ensure that individual Americans have 
both the digital literacy tools and the civics edu-
cation they need to secure their networks and their 
democracy from cyber-enabled information oper-
ations.’’. The report recommended that Congress au-
thorize grant programs to do this. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that, given the threat for-
eign influence campaigns pose for United States democ-
racy, the effect of online scams on veterans and their fami-
lies, and the findings and recommendations of Congress, 
Federal agencies, and experts, Congress should imme-
diately act to pass legislative measures to increase digital 
and media literacy, as well as cybersecurity best practices 
among veterans of the United States. 
SEC. 4. VETERANS CYBERSECURITY AND DIGITAL LIT-
ERACY GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish a program to promote digital citizenship and media 
literacy, through which the Secretary shall award grants 
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to eligible entities to enable those eligible entities to carry 
out the activities described in subsection (c). 
(b) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity seeking a grant 
under the program required by subsection (a) shall submit 
to the Secretary an application therefor at such time, in 
such manner, and containing such information as the Sec-
retary may require, including, at a minimum the following: 
(1) A description of the activities the eligible 
entity intends to carry out with the grant funds. 
(2) An estimate of the costs associated with 
such activities. 
(3) Such other information and assurances as 
the Secretary may require. 
(c) ACTIVITIES.—An eligible entity shall use the 
amount of a grant awarded under the program required 
by subsection (a) to carry out one or more of the following 
activities to promote cybersecurity best practices and in-
crease digital and media literacy among veterans: 
(1) Develop competencies in cybersecurity best 
practices. 
(2) Develop media literacy and digital citizen-
ship competencies by promoting veterans’— 
(A) research and information fluency; 
(B) critical thinking and problem solving 
skills; 
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(C) technology operations and concepts; 
(D) information and technological literacy; 
(E) concepts of media and digital represen-
tation and stereotyping; 
(F) understanding of explicit and implicit 
media and digital messages; 
(G) understanding of values and points of 
view that are included and excluded in media 
and digital content; 
(H) understanding of how media and dig-
ital content may influence ideas and behaviors; 
(I) understanding of the importance of ob-
taining 
information 
from 
multiple 
media 
sources and evaluating sources for quality; 
(J) understanding how information on dig-
ital platforms can be altered through algo-
rithms, editing, and augmented reality; 
(K) ability to create media and digital con-
tent in civically and socially responsible ways; 
and 
(L) understanding of influence campaigns 
conducted by foreign adversaries and the tactics 
employed by foreign adversaries for conducting 
influence campaigns. 
(d) REPORTING.— 
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(1) REPORTS BY GRANT RECIPIENTS.—Each re-
cipient of a grant under the program required by 
subsection (a) shall, not later than one year after 
the date on which the recipient first receives funds 
pursuant to the grant, submit to the Secretary a re-
port describing the activities the recipient carried 
out using grant funds and the effectiveness of those 
activities. 
(2) REPORT BY THE SECRETARY.—Not later 
than 90 days after the date on which the Secretary 
receives the last report the Secretary expects to re-
ceive under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall sub-
mit to Congress a report describing the activities 
carried out under this section and the effectiveness 
of those activities. 
(e) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the Secretary should— 
(1) establish and maintain a list of eligible enti-
ties that receive a grant under the program required 
by subsection (a), and individuals designated by 
those eligible entities as participating individuals; 
and 
(2) make that list available to those eligible en-
tities and participating individuals in order to pro-
mote communication and further exchange of infor-
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mation regarding sound digital citizenship and 
media literacy practices among recipients of grants 
under the program required by subsection (a). 
(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023, 2025, and 
2027. 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) CYBERSECURITY
BEST
PRACTICES.—The 
term ‘‘cybersecurity best practices’’ means practices 
and steps that users of computers and other internet 
connected devices take to maintain and improve on-
line security, maintain the proper functioning of 
computers devices, and protect computers and de-
vices from cyberattacks and unauthorized use. 
(2) DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP.—The term ‘‘digital 
citizenship’’ means the ability to— 
(A) safely, responsibly, and ethically use 
communication technologies and digital infor-
mation technology tools and platforms; 
(B) create and share media content using 
principles of social and civic responsibility and 
with awareness of the legal and ethical issues 
involved; and 
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(C) participate in the political, economic, 
social, and cultural aspects of life related to 
technology, communications, and the digital 
world by consuming and creating digital con-
tent, including media. 
(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means— 
(A) a civil society organization, including 
community groups, nongovernmental organiza-
tions, nonprofit organization, labor organiza-
tions, indigenous groups, charitable organiza-
tions, professional associations, and founda-
tions; and 
(B) congressionally chartered veterans 
service organizations. 
(4) MEDIA LITERACY.—The term ‘‘media lit-
eracy’’ means the ability to— 
(A) access relevant and accurate informa-
tion through media in a variety of forms; 
(B) critically analyze media content and 
the influences of different forms of media; 
(C) evaluate the comprehensiveness, rel-
evance, credibility, authority, and accuracy of 
information; 
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(D) make educated decisions based on in-
formation obtained from media and digital 
sources; 
(E) operate various forms of technology 
and digital tools; and 
(F) reflect on how the use of media and 
technology may affect private and public life. 
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 
Æ 
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