Title: Protecting Students from Cybercrimes Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Protecting Students from Cybercrimes Act
This bill authorizes the Federal Bureau of Investigation to award grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to help prevent, prepare for, protect against, and respond to cybercrimes. LEAs must use grant funds for certain activities, such as establishing scholarship or apprenticeship programs to provide financial assistance to students who pursue careers in cybersecurity.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7530 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7530

     To direct the Attorney General to make grants to assist local 
 educational agencies in developing and implementing plans to address 
   cybersecurity threats or vulnerabilities, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              July 9, 2020

   Mr. Harder of California introduced the following bill; which was 
 referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to 
    the Committee on the Judiciary, 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 direct the Attorney General to make grants to assist local 
 educational agencies in developing and implementing plans to address 
   cybersecurity threats or vulnerabilities, 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 ``Protecting Students from Cybercrimes 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Educational institutions across the country are 
        becoming increasingly vulnerable to cyber attacks with the 
        switch to online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic.
            (2) Cyber attacks put sensitive and confidential 
        information at risk of disclosure.
            (3) Increased cyber attacks place sensitive student 
        information, such as student academic achievement records, 
        grades, medical records, and other personal identifiable 
        information at risk.
            (4) School districts are not sufficiently equipped to 
        prevent damaging cyber attacks. Increased funding and guidance 
        from the Federal Government are needed to adequately prepare 
        for and defend against potential cyber attacks.
            (5) Increased Federal funding and guidance will give school 
        districts the ability to reduce their risk and exposure to 
        cyber attacks.
            (6) Increased Federal funding to school districts will 
        enable school district residents to pursue formal education, 
        training, and industry recognized certifications for careers in 
        cybersecurity, which will aid in the prevention and mitigation 
        of the effects of future attacks.
            (7) Increased Federal funding and guidance will allow 
        school districts, campuses, and institutions of higher 
        education to share information and analysis to prevent future 
        cyber attacks.

SEC. 3. SCHOOL CYBERCRIME PROTECTION GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The Attorney General, acting through the 
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (referred to in this 
section as the ``FBI Director''), is authorized to make grants to any 
local educational agency (as such term is defined in section 8101 of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)) or 
group of local educational agencies to assist in preventing, preparing 
for, protecting against, and responding to cybercrimes.
    (b) Use of Grant Funds.--
            (1) Limitations.--Any grant awarded under this section 
        shall supplement and not supplant local educational agency or 
        local funds, as applicable, and may not be used--
                    (A) to provide any Federal cost-sharing 
                contribution on behalf of a local educational agency; 
                or
                    (B) for any recreational or social purpose.
            (2) Approved activities for grants.--A local educational 
        agency that receives funds through this grant program shall use 
        such funds for one or more of the following activities:
                    (A) Supporting or enhancing information sharing and 
                analysis organizations.
                    (B) Implementing or coordinating systems and 
                services that use cyber threat indicators (as such term 
                is defined in section 102 of the Cybersecurity 
                Information Sharing Act of 2015 (6 U.S.C. 1501)) to 
                address cybersecurity threats or vulnerabilities.
                    (C) Preventing, preparing for, protecting against, 
                and responding to cybercrimes, including coordinating 
                with--
                            (i) emergency management elements of the 
                        State in which the local educational agency is 
                        located, municipality, and local educational 
                        agency;
                            (ii) Federal Bureau of Investigation or 
                        Department of Homeland Security units, as 
                        appropriate;
                            (iii) entities associated with critical 
                        infrastructure or key resources;
                            (iv) information sharing and analysis 
                        organizations;
                            (v) public safety answering points; or
                            (vi) nongovernmental organizations engaged 
                        in cybersecurity research as an information 
                        analysis and sharing organization designated by 
                        the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the 
                        Department of Homeland Security.
                    (D) Establishing programs, such as scholarships or 
                apprenticeships, to provide financial assistance to 
                students served by the local educational agency who--
                            (i) pursue formal education, training, and 
                        industry-recognized certifications for careers 
                        in cybersecurity as identified by the National 
                        Initiative for Cybersecurity Education; and
                            (ii) commit to working for a local 
                        educational agency for not less than 2 years.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2021 through 2025.
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