A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Thursday unveiled yet another bill that would help the government respond to a major cybersecurity attack.
The Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act, sponsored by Sens. Tom Carper, D-Del., Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, includes key provisions that would mandate continuous monitoring and create a new cyber office at the White House. But the bill also includes some provisions to improve the recruitment and retention of the cybersecurity workforce. For example, the bill would require the Office of Personnel Management to reform the way cybersecurity personnel are recruited, hired and trained to ensure the government has the staff necessary to prevent and respond to cyber attacks.
In March, Sens. John (Jay) Rockefeller, D-W.V., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, proposed legislation that also would invest in the federal cybersecurity workforce, in part by beefing up scholarship programs and requiring federal agencies to develop strategic cybersecurity workforce plans.
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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