Title: To establish in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency of the Department of Homeland Security a pilot program for the purpose of carrying out a talent exchange program between the private sector and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
This bill establishes a pilot program for carrying out a talent exchange between the private sector and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to improve national security through public-private collaboration.
To carry out the program, CISA may arrange for the temporary assignment of (1) the employees of a participating private sector entity to CISA, or (2) CISA employees to a participating private sector entity. CISA must report on the private sector entities to and from which employees were assigned, the positions held by such employees, and the tasks such employees performed while so assigned.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7590 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7590

To establish in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency of 
the Department of Homeland Security a pilot program for the purpose of 
 carrying out a talent exchange program between the private sector and 
  the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 13, 2020

Mr. Katko (for himself, Mr. Brindisi, and Mr. Gallagher) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland 
 Security, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Reform, 
and Energy and Commerce, 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 committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency of 
the Department of Homeland Security a pilot program for the purpose of 
 carrying out a talent exchange program between the private sector and 
  the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, 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. ESTABLISHMENT OF PUBLIC-PRIVATE TALENT EXCHANGE FOR 
              CYBERSECURITY SKILLS DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) Purpose.--There is established, within the Cybersecurity and 
Infrastructure Security Agency of the Department of Homeland Security, 
a pilot program for the purpose of carrying out a talent exchange 
program between the private sector and the Cybersecurity and 
Infrastructure Security Agency (in this section referred to as the 
``program'') in order to--
            (1) facilitate collaboration with the best and most diverse 
        minds from outside the Federal Government to improve national 
        security;
            (2) incorporate public and private sector talent to 
        challenge thinking, test innovative ideas, and enable greater 
        understanding on cybersecurity, bringing public and private 
        sector expertise together in a way that helps both sectors 
        learn lessons, identify systemic vulnerabilities, and reduce 
        the future impact of cyber attacks; and
            (3) expand existing Cybersecurity and Infrastructure 
        Security Agency programs that integrate private sector and 
        interagency personnel.
    (b) Requirements.--In carrying out the program, the Director of the 
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency shall--
            (1) promote public-private cooperation and intelligence 
        sharing;
            (2) develop and publicize the knowledge, skills, and 
        abilities, including relevant education, training, 
        apprenticeships, certifications, and other experiences, that 
        are required to participate in the program;
            (3) provide for participation by cleared and uncleared 
        public and private employees; and
            (4) develop a plan and application process for the private 
        sector to participate in the program.
    (c) Assignment Authority.--The Director of the Cybersecurity and 
Infrastructure Security Agency may, with the agreement of a private 
sector entity and the consent of a employee of the Agency or such 
entity, as the case may be, arrange for the temporary assignment of--
            (1) such employee of the Agency to such entity; or
            (2) such employee of such entity to the Agency.
    (d) Agreements.--
            (1) In general.--Before any temporary assignment may be 
        made under the program, the Director of the Cybersecurity and 
        Infrastructure Security Agency shall enter into a written 
        agreement with the private sector entity and the employee 
        concerned regarding the terms and conditions of such 
        assignment, which shall--
                    (A) require that an employee of the Cybersecurity 
                and Infrastructure Security Agency, upon completion of 
                such assignment, serve in the Cybersecurity and 
                Infrastructure Security Agency, or, if appropriate, 
                elsewhere in the civil service, for a period of time 
                equal to at least twice the length of such assignment;
                    (B) provide that if an employee of the 
                Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency or of 
                the private sector entity, as the case may be, fails to 
                abide by the terms of such agreement, such employee 
                shall be liable to the United States for payment of all 
                expenses of the assignment of such employee, including 
                the value of the salary and benefits of such employee, 
                unless such failure was for good cause as determined by 
                the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure 
                Security Agency; and
                    (C) contain language prohibiting an employee of the 
                Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency from 
                improperly utilizing pre-decisional or draft 
                deliberative information such employee may be privy to 
                or aware of related to Department of Homeland Security 
                programing, budgeting, resourcing, acquisition, or 
                procurement for the benefit or advantage of the private 
                sector entity at which such employee is temporarily 
                assigned.
            (2) Collection of costs.--
                    (A) In general.--An amount for which an employee is 
                liable under paragraph (1)(B) shall be treated as a 
                debt due the United States.
                    (B) Waiver.--The Director may waive, in whole or in 
                part, collection of a debt described in subparagraph 
                (A) based on a determination that the collection would 
                be against equity and good conscience and not in the 
                best interests of the United States, after taking into 
                account any indication of fraud, misrepresentation, 
                fault, or lack of good faith on the part of the 
                employee concerned.
    (e) Termination.--An assignment under the program may, at any time 
and for any reason, be terminated by the Director of the Cybersecurity 
and Infrastructure Security Agency or the private sector entity 
concerned.
    (f) Duration.--
            (1) In general.--An assignment under the program shall be 
        for a period of not less than one year and not more than three 
        years.
            (2) CISA employees.--No employee of the Cybersecurity and 
        Infrastructure Security Agency may be assigned under the 
        program for more than a total of four years inclusive of all 
        such assignments.
    (g) Status of Federal Employees Assigned to Private-Sector 
Entities.--An employee of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security 
Agency who is assigned to a private sector entity under the program 
shall be considered, during the period of such assignment, to be 
employed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency for 
all purposes.
    (h) Mission Continuity.--Before authorizing the temporary 
assignment of an employee of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure 
Security Agency to a private sector entity under the program, the 
Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency 
shall--
            (1) ensure that the normal duties and functions of such 
        employee can be reasonably performed by other employees of the 
        Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency without the 
        permanent transfer or reassignment of other personnel of the 
        Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency;
            (2) ensure that the normal duties and functions of such 
        employee are not, as a result of and during the course of such 
        assignment, performed or augmented by contractor personnel in 
        violation of section 1710 of title 41, United States Code; and
            (3) certify that such assignment shall not have an adverse 
        or negative impact on mission attainment or organizational 
        capabilities associated with such assignment.
    (i) Terms and Conditions for Private-Sector Employees.--An employee 
of a private sector entity who is assigned to the Cybersecurity and 
Infrastructure Security Agency under the program--
            (1) shall continue to receive pay and benefits from the 
        private sector entity from which such employee is assigned and 
        may not receive pay or benefits from the Cybersecurity and 
        Infrastructure Security Agency;
            (2) may not have access to any trade secrets or to any 
        other nonpublic information which is of commercial value to 
        such private sector entity;
            (3) may perform work that is considered inherently 
        governmental in nature only when requested in writing by the 
        Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security 
        Agency; and
            (4) may not be used to circumvent the provisions of section 
        1710 of title 41, United States Code.
    (j) Reporting Requirement.--The Director of the Cybersecurity and 
Infrastructure Security Agency 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, not 
later than 1 month after the end of the fiscal year involved, a report 
on any activities carried out utilizing the authorities provided by 
this section during that fiscal year, including information 
concerning--
            (1) the private sector entities to and from which employees 
        were assigned under the program;
            (2) the positions such employees held while so assigned;
            (3) a description of the tasks such employees performed 
        while so assigned; and
            (4) a discussion of any actions that might be taken to 
        improve the effectiveness of the program, including any 
        proposed changes in law.
    (k) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) value is derived from the program when participants are 
        meaningfully integrated into their host entities, which will 
        often require a personnel security clearance process for 
        participants from the private sector;
            (2) the success of the program, and the workforce 
        development efforts critical for the success of key national 
        security priorities more generally, are severely hampered by 
        the current personnel security clearance process; and
            (3) until such time as the wait times for personnel 
        security clearances meet the stated goals of Federal 
        departments and agencies, in order to implement the program, 
        the Director of the Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure 
        Agency should encourage--
                    (A) declassification of information as broadly and 
                quickly as possible; and
                    (B) participation of the private sector at the 
                unclassified level to promote open dialogue and 
                information sharing outside the classified space.
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