Cyber Security Education and Federal Workforce Enhancement Act

Bill: 114-hr-53
Sponsor: Rep. Jackson Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18]
Introduced: 2015-01-06 in the House
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Advisory bodies
Computer security and identity theft
Computers and information technology
Congressional oversight
Department of Homeland Security
Education programs funding
Educational facilities and institutions
Educational technology and distance education
Elementary and secondary education
Employment and training programs
Executive agency funding and structure
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government studies and investigations
Higher education
Homeland security
Minority education
Public-private cooperation
Research administration and funding
Science and engineering education
Teaching, teachers, curricula

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: 

Cyber Security Education and Federal Workforce Enhancement Act

 
Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) an Office of Cybersecurity Education and Awareness Branch to make recommendations to DHS regarding: (1) recruitment of information assurance, cybersecurity, and computer security professionals; (2) grants, training programs, and other support for kindergarten through grade 12, secondary, and post-secondary computer security education programs; (3) guest lecturer programs in which professional computer security experts lecture computer science students at institutions of higher education; (4) youth training programs for students to work in part-time or summer positions at federal agencies; and (5) programs to support underrepresented minorities in computer security fields with programs at minority-serving institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Native American colleges, Asian-American institutions, and rural colleges and universities.
 
Directs DHS to provide matching funds to local educational agencies for after-school programs dedicated to science, technology, engineering, and math.
 
Provides for the establishment of: 
 
 
a Research K-12 Science and Technology Education Board of Advisors to make recommendations regarding K-12 science and technology education domestically and internationally; 
 
a Computing and Information Security Post-Secondary Education Working Group to assist DHS in developing voluntary guidelines for federal civil agency training programs, certification authorities, and accreditation bodies; 
 
a Post-Secondary Laboratory Research Development Task Force to recommend best practices for baseline equipment, skilled instruction, and certification needed by college and university laboratory facilities; 
 
an Office of Computing and Information Security Professional's Mentoring Program for outreach to institutions of higher education, critical infrastructure owners, and federal agencies to promote professional mentors for students; 
 
a program under which DHS may designate colleges and universities as Centers of Academic Computer and Information Assurance Distinction; 
 
programs in conjunction with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award grants to institutions of higher education for cybersecurity and information security professional development programs and degrees; and 
 
an E-Security Fellows Program for state, local, tribal, and private sector officials to participate in DHS's National Cybersecurity Division. 

 
Authorizes DHS to make grants to post-secondary institutions to equip computer laboratories for teaching and research purposes.
 
Requires the NSF to report to Congress regarding the causes of the high dropout rates of women and minority students enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-29
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.
action_date: 2015-04-29
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
action_date: 2015-02-19
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Research and Technology.
action_date: 2015-01-23
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies.
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology, and Homeland Security, 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.
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology, and Homeland Security, 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.
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology, and Homeland Security, 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.
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology, and Homeland Security, 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.
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Introduced in House