Title: FedRAMP Authorization Act
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program Reform Act of 2018 or the FedRAMP Authorization Act
This bill amends the E-Government Act of 2002 to establish the FedRAMP Program Management Office within the General Services Administration. The office shall be responsible for the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program.
Additionally, the bill establishes the Joint Authorization Board which shall issue provisional authorizations to cloud service providers to operate within FedRAMP security guidelines.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6550 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6550

   To enhance the innovation, security, and availability of Federal 
    Government cloud services by establishing the Federal Risk and 
 Authorization Management Program within the Office of Management and 
   Budget Office of Electronic Government and by establishing a risk 
management, authorization, and continuous monitoring process to enable 
  the Federal Government to leverage cloud computing services using a 
 risk-based approach consistent with the Federal Information Security 
 Reform Act of 2014 and cloud-based operations, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 26, 2018

  Mr. Connolly (for himself and Mr. Meadows) introduced the following 
 bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government 
                                 Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To enhance the innovation, security, and availability of Federal 
    Government cloud services by establishing the Federal Risk and 
 Authorization Management Program within the Office of Management and 
   Budget Office of Electronic Government and by establishing a risk 
management, authorization, and continuous monitoring process to enable 
  the Federal Government to leverage cloud computing services using a 
 risk-based approach consistent with the Federal Information Security 
 Reform Act of 2014 and cloud-based operations, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Risk and Authorization 
Management Program Reform Act of 2018'' or the ``FedRAMP Authorization 
Act''.

SEC. 2. CODIFICATION OF THE FEDRAMP PROGRAM.

    (a) Amendment.--Chapter 36 of title 44, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new sections:
``Sec. 3607. Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program
    ``(a) Establishment.--There is established within the General 
Services Administration, an office to be known as the FedRAMP Program 
Management Office that shall be responsible for the Federal Risk and 
Authorization Management Program. FedRAMP is a specific Government 
certification program that examines and accredits cloud service 
providers that offer Federal cloud computing services for sale, lease, 
or purchase to Federal agency cloud customers. The FedRAMP Program 
Management Office embodies the goal of a `qualify once, use many times' 
process through the issuance of certifications in the form of 
provisional authorizations to operate.
    ``(b) Components of FedRAMP.--There are established as components 
of FedRAMP the Joint Authorization Board and the Program Management 
Office, or such successor offices as the Office of Management and 
Budget, through the Office of Electronic Government may determine.
    ``(c) FedRAMP Duties.--The Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget and the Administrator of General Services, or their designees, 
shall work together to do the following:
            ``(1) Issue guidance on categories and characteristics of 
        information technology goods or services that are within the 
        jurisdiction of FedRAMP and that require FedRAMP certification.
            ``(2) Issue guidance for the establishment and 
        implementation of FedRAMP to conduct security assessments, 
        reviews, and appropriate oversight of continuous monitoring of 
        cloud services used by agencies.
            ``(3) Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, submit to 
        Congress a report on the status and performance of the FedRAMP 
        Program Management Office, including the status and disposition 
        of waiver requests to FedRAMP submitted to the FedRAMP Program 
        Management Office by agencies and a description of and progress 
        towards meeting the metrics adopted by the FedRAMP Program 
        Management Office pursuant to section 3608(e), as submitted to 
        the Administrator by that Office.
``Sec. 3608. Roles and responsibilities of the FedRAMP Program 
              Management Office
    ``(a) Implementation.--Upon delegation from the Office of 
Electronic Government, the Administrator shall oversee the 
implementation of FedRAMP, including--
            ``(1) appointing a Program Director to oversee the FedRAMP 
        Program Management Office;
            ``(2) hiring professional staff as may be necessary for the 
        effective operation of the FedRAMP Program Management Office, 
        and such other activities as are essential to properly perform 
        critical functions; and
            ``(3) such other actions as the Administrator may determine 
        necessary to carry out this section.
    ``(b) Authority and Duties.--The FedRAMP Program Management Office 
shall have the following authority and duties:
            ``(1) Provide guidance to agencies, regarding compliance 
        with requirements, guidelines, and standards developed by the 
        National Institute of Standards and Technology.
            ``(2) Provide guidance to third party assessment 
        organizations in using and applying the requirements, 
        guidelines, and standards adopted by FedRAMP.
            ``(3) Provide guidance to agencies on appropriate use of 
        and acquisition of FedRAMP approved services, including the 
        role of cloud brokers and cloud service integrators.
            ``(4) In consultation with the Director and the Secretary 
        of Homeland Security, issue guidance for agencies on monitoring 
        and reporting on the usage and demand of cloud computing, use 
        of automation, and use of commercial cloud services to the 
        fullest extent practical.
            ``(5) In consultation with the Federal Chief Information 
        Officer, oversee and issue guidelines regarding the 
        qualifications, roles, and responsibilities of third party 
        assessment organizations, in consultation with the National 
        Institute of Standards and Technology.
            ``(6) Develop standards and templates, including a summary 
        risk report template for third party assessment organizations 
        that informs the security assessment report to complement the 
        existing authorization package artifacts and serve as an 
        authorization decision-making tool.
            ``(7) Coordinate with stakeholders to provide guidance and 
        recommendations to FedRAMP. Stakeholders to include--
                    ``(A) agency cloud customers;
                    ``(B) cloud service providers;
                    ``(C) third party assessment organizations;
                    ``(D) agency Offices of Inspector General; and
                    ``(E) the Government Accountability Office.
            ``(8) Establish and maintain a public comment process for 
        newly issued or revised guidance adopted by FedRAMP.
    ``(c) Evaluation of Automation Procedures.--The FedRAMP Program 
Management Office shall assess and evaluate available automation 
procedures to accelerate the processing of FedRAMP applications.
    ``(d) Metrics for Certification.--The FedRAMP Program Management 
Office shall adopt specific metrics regarding the time, cost, and 
quality of the assessments necessary for completion of a FedRAMP 
authorization process in a manner that can be consistently tracked over 
time, which shall be done in conjunction with the periodic testing and 
evaluation process pursuant to subchapter II of chapter 35 in a manner 
that minimizes the agency reporting burden.
``Sec. 3609. Roles and responsibilities of the Joint Authorization 
              Board
    ``(a) Establishment.--There is established the Joint Authorization 
Board which shall consist of the Chief Information Officers or their 
designees of the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland 
Security, and the General Services Administration.
    ``(b) Issuance of Provisional Authorizations To Operate.--The Joint 
Authorization Board shall have the authority to issue provisional 
authorizations to operate to cloud service providers that meet FedRAMP 
security guidelines set forth in the Common Security Control Baseline.
    ``(c) Duties.--The Joint Authorization Board shall--
            ``(1) review and validate cloud service provider and third 
        party assessment organization security assessment packages;
            ``(2) in consultation with the FedRAMP Program Management 
        Office, serve as a resource for best practices to accelerate 
        the FedRAMP process;
            ``(3) obtain such professional staff as may be necessary 
        for the effective operation of FedRAMP and such other 
        activities as are essential to properly perform critical 
        functions;
            ``(4) such other roles and responsibilities as the FedRAMP 
        Program Management Office may assign, as agreed to by the 
        FedRAMP Program Management Office and members of the Joint 
        Authorization Board; and
            ``(5) appoint technical representatives responsible for 
        FedRAMP activities within each Joint Authorization Board 
        agency.
``Sec. 3610. Roles and responsibilities of third party assessment 
              organizations
    ``(a) Requirements for Certification.--The FedRAMP Program 
Management Office, in consultation with the Joint Authorization Board, 
shall determine the requirements for certification of third party 
assessment organizations. Such requirements may include developing or 
requiring certification programs for individuals employed by the third 
party assessment organizations who lead FedRAMP assessment teams.
    ``(b) Assessment.--Accredited third party assessment organizations 
shall assess, validate, and attest to the quality and compliance of 
security assessment materials provided by cloud service providers.
    ``(c) Summary Risk Report.--Accredited third party assessment 
organizations shall develop a risk report that summarizes the security 
assessment report to complement the existing authorization package 
artifacts and serve as an authorization decision making tool.
``Sec. 3611. Roles and responsibilities of agencies
    ``(a) In General.--In implementing and enforcing the requirements 
of FedRAMP, Federal agency cloud customers shall--
            ``(1) create policies to implement FedRAMP requirements;
            ``(2) issue agency-specific authorizations to operate for 
        Federal cloud computing services in compliance with subchapter 
        II of chapter 35;
            ``(3) be in compliance with any FedRAMP requirements, 
        unless a waiver is issued by the Director;
            ``(4) provide data to the Director on how agencies are 
        meeting metrics as defined by the FedRAMP Program Management 
        Office pursuant to section 3614(b); and
            ``(5) if applicable, ensure that any contract is in 
        compliance with FedRAMP requirements.
    ``(b) Submission of Policies Required.--Not later than 6 months 
after the date of the enactment of this section, Federal agency cloud 
customers shall submit to the Director the policies created pursuant to 
subsection (a)(1) for review and approval.
    ``(c) Submission of Authorizations To Operate Required.--Upon 
issuance of an authorization to operate, the head of the relevant 
agency shall provide a copy of the authorization to operate letter to 
the FedRAMP Program Management Office and the cloud service provider to 
enable the FedRAMP Program Management Office to track and assess all 
forms of authorizations to operate on a Governmentwide basis.
    ``(d) Presumption of Adequacy.--Any provisional authorization to 
operate issued by the Joint Authorization Board shall be considered to 
be presumptively adequate by agencies, subject to technical or 
programmatic rebuttal by an agency that disagrees with adequacy or 
sufficiency of the certification. This rebuttable presumption of 
adequacy shall not derogate, modify, or alter the responsibility of any 
agency to ensure compliance with the subchapter II of chapter 35 for 
any Federal cloud computing services that the agency deploys.
    ``(e) Waiver or Exception.--The Chief Information Officer of each 
agency may request a waiver or exception to specific FedRAMP 
requirements. Such request for waiver shall be in accordance with the 
determinations and finding issued under section 3612(2). The 
determination and findings shall be submitted to the FedRAMP Program 
Management Office and the Director, along with such supporting articles 
as may be required under guidelines issued by FedRAMP.
    ``(f) Agency Reports Required.--Not later than 90 days after the 
date of which any guidance is issued pursuant to section 3608(b)(4) 
from the FedRAMP Program Management Office, the head of each agency 
shall submit to the Director a report on cloud computing usage and the 
potential demand for cloud computing.
``Sec. 3612. Roles and Responsibilities of the Office of Management and 
              Budget
    ``The Director shall have the following duties:
            ``(1) Highlight current guidance or issue new guidance to 
        ensure that an agency does not operate a Federal Government 
        cloud computing service using Government data without issuing 
        an authorization to operate issued by the agency that meets the 
        requirements of subchapter II of chapter 35 and FedRAMP.
            ``(2) Issue guidance and templates for agency 
        determinations and findings for waivers to the requirements of 
        FedRAMP (any request by an agency for such a waiver must set 
        forth unique agency-specific technical, operational, or 
        managerial requirements necessary for agency operations).
            ``(3) Define alternatives and agency best practices for 
        compliance with the Trusted Internet Connection for agencies 
        connecting to a cloud service provider.
            ``(4) Grant waivers or exceptions to specific FedRAMP 
        requirements as may be necessary by the submission of agency 
        determinations and findings that meet the OMB guidelines for 
        FedRAMP waivers pursuant to paragraph (2).
            ``(5) Ensure agencies are in compliance with any guidance 
        or other requirements issued related to FedRAMP.
``Sec. 3613. Funding of FedRAMP
    ``The FedRAMP Program Management Office may, to the extent deemed 
appropriate by the Administrator and in consultation with the Director, 
use funds contained within the Acquisition Services Fund described 
under section 321 of title 40 or such other funds as may be available 
for the operations of FedRAMP.
``Sec. 3614. Reporting
    ``(a) In General.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the 
enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the Director shall 
submit to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Government Affairs of the Senate a report that includes the following:
            ``(1) The status, efficiency, and effectiveness of FedRAMP 
        during the preceding year in authorizing and recertifying 
        secure cloud solutions for Federal agency cloud customers.
            ``(2) The length of time for Federal agency cloud customers 
        to issue authorizations to operate during the preceding year.
            ``(3) Agency requests for FedRAMP waivers.
            ``(4) Progress during the preceding year in advancing 
        automation techniques to securely automate FedRAMP processes 
        and to accelerate reporting as described in this section.
            ``(5) Number of cloud computing systems in use at each 
        agency and the number of cloud computing authorizations to 
        operate.
    ``(b) GAO Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
enactment of this section, and every three years thereafter, the 
Comptroller General shall submit to the Oversight and Government Reform 
Committee of the House of Representatives and the Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs Committee of the Senate an assessment of FedRAMP, 
third party assessment organizations, and Federal agency cloud 
customers, including the following:
            ``(1) An evaluation of the impact and continuing need for 
        specific cloud security controls.
            ``(2) A review of the adequacy of resources to run FedRAMP.
            ``(3) The development of reusability and the potential for 
        the use and adoption of reciprocal standards, whether from 
        Government or the private sector, as substitutes for specific 
        security controls in use by the FedRAMP Project Management 
        Office.
``Sec. 3615. Definitions
    ``(a) In General.--Except as provided under paragraph (2), the 
definitions under sections 3502 and 3552 apply to sections 3607 through 
3614.
    ``(b) Additional Definitions.--In sections 3607 through 3614:
            ``(1) Administrator.--The term `Administrator' means the 
        Administrator of General Services.
            ``(2) Cloud broker.--The term `cloud broker' means an 
        entity that manages the use, performance, and delivery of cloud 
        computing services and negotiates relationships between cloud 
        service providers and cloud consumers.
            ``(3) Cloud computing.--The term `cloud computing' means a 
        model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network 
        access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources 
        (such as networks, servers, storage, applications, and 
        services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with 
        minimal management effort or service provider interaction (as 
        defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology 
        pursuant to the National Institute of Standards and Technology 
        Act (15 U.S.C. 278g-3), including NIST Special Publication 800-
        145) or any successor thereto.
            ``(4) Cloud service integrator.--The term `cloud service 
        integrator' means a systems or service integrator that 
        specializes in cloud computing services.
            ``(5) Cloud service provider.--The term `cloud service 
        provider' means a third party entity offering cloud computing 
        services to the Federal Government.
            ``(6) Common security control baseline.--The term `common 
        security control baseline' means the guidance issued pursuant 
        to section 3607(c)(2).
            ``(7) Director.--The term `Director' means the Director of 
        the Office of Management and Budget.
            ``(8) Federal agency cloud customer.--The term `Federal 
        agency cloud customer' means an agency using cloud computing 
        services.
            ``(9) Federally controlled information system.--The term 
        `federally controlled information system' or `Federal 
        information system' means an information system used or 
        operated by a Federal agency cloud customer as set forth and in 
        compliance with the guidelines and requirements of section 3554 
        of title 40.
            ``(10) Federal government cloud computing services.--The 
        term `Federal Government cloud computing services' means a 
        cloud computing service that is used or operated by a Federal 
        agency cloud customer upon a federally controlled information 
        system.
            ``(11) FedRAMP.--The term `FedRAMP' means the Federal Risk 
        and Authorization Management Program established under section 
        3607(a).
            ``(12) FedRAMP program management office.--The term 
        `FedRAMP Program Management Office' means the office that 
        administers FedRAMP.
            ``(13) FedRAMP security controls baseline.--The term 
        `FedRAMP security controls baseline' means those security 
        controls that cloud service providers and agencies must, at a 
        minimum, address to receive a provisional authorization to 
        operate, as defined by the FedRAMP Program Management Office.
            ``(14) Joint authorization board.--The term `Joint 
        Authorization Board' means the Joint Authorization Board 
        established under section 3609.
            ``(15) Technical representative.--The term `technical 
        representative' means an agency's technical representative to 
        the Joint Authorization Board designated by the member agency 
        of the Joint Authorization Board.
            ``(16) Third party assessment organization.--The term 
        `third party assessment organization' means a third-party 
        organization accredited by the Program Director of the FedRAMP 
        Program Management Office to undertake conformity assessments 
        of cloud service providers.''.
    (b) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of sections for 
chapter 36 of title 44, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following new items:

        ``3607. Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program.
        ``3608. Roles and responsibilities of the FedRAMP Program 
                            Management Office.
        ``3609. Roles and responsibilities of the Joint Authorization 
                            Board.
        ``3610. Roles and responsibilities of third party assessment 
                            organizations.
        ``3611. Roles and responsibilities of the agencies.
        ``3612. Funding of FedRAMP.
        ``3613. Reporting.
        ``3614. Definitions.''.
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