Cybersecurity Policy Report, Cyber Workforce Bills Win House Committee Approval, (Sep 25, 2024)
Two bills that aim to grow the cyber workforce for the federal government and private sector were approved today by the House Homeland Security Committee.
The committee adopted the DHS Cybersecurity Internship Program Act (H.R. 9689, 118th Cong. (2024)) by voice vote and the Providing Individuals Various Opportunities for Technical Training (PIVOTT) to Build a Skills-Based Cyber Workforce Act (H.R. 9770, 118th Cong. (2024)) by a vote of 27-0.
“Today our nation faces a cyber workforce shortage of over 500,000 cyber professionals,” noted committee Chairman Mark Green (R., Tenn.), sponsor of HR 9770.
“Each of those vacancies creates an opening for our adversaries to exploit our networks and infrastructure. This astonishing number does not even account for our current cyber professionals who may need to upskill or reskill to keep up with the threat landscape,” he said.
“The only way to strengthen our nation’s cybersecurity is by ensuring the right people are in the right place with the right skills. This is not an easy task. For at least a decade we’ve discussed the cyber workforce shortage, yet we continue to hear that the growth of the cyber workforce gap outpaces the size of the workforce,” he added.
His bill would establish a program modeled on the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) that would provide two years’ of education free of charge in exchange for two years’ of government service, he explained.
HR 9689, offered by Rep. Yvette Clarke (D., N.Y.), would codify an existing cyber internship program at the Department of Homeland Security, Rep. Clarke said.
“For many years DHS has struggled to attract and retain top cyber talent, leaving roughly 2,000 cyber vacancies at the department,” she said. “My legislation would codify this program to ensure the department continues to offer cybersecurity internships.”
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