(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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