Today Senator Mike Rounds, (R-ND) Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on cybersecurity and Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Senate Homeland Security ranking member Gary Peters (D-Mich.) are introducing the Senate version of the Cyber PIVOTT Act.
This is the companion bill to the Act introduced in the House by Homeland Security Chair Mark Green (R-Tenn.) last week.
The PIVOTT Act is based on the ISA’s proposal to create a virtual cybersecurity academy providing free tuition to students who will then provide cybersecurity service to the government. Chairman Green pledged to the ISA board his commitment to introduce the bill at our 2023 Salon dinner. He introduced the bill and got it out of the House Homeland Security Committee last year and reintroduced it, with over 20 private sector organizations pledging support last week.
The bill is by far the most aggressive legislation yet proposed to address our nation’s cyber workforce gap and targets up to 10,000 new cyber professionals a year when fully implemented. It also will provide trained professionals to the state and local governments as well as the federal government – all fundamental principles of the initial ISA proposal.
Senator Rounds position on both Armed Services and Appropriations is key as the National Defense Authorization Act, which goes through Armed Services, is a potential vehicle for enacting the PIVOTT Act. The NDAA would only authorize the Act. Funding would have to go through Appropriations. After meeting with the ISA board delegation in December House Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Rogers became a co-sponsor of the PIVOTT Act and Rounds position on the Senate Appropriations Committee substantially increases to work with Chairman Rogers thus increasing the bill’s chances in Appropriations.
As the former Chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, and currently its Ranking Member, Senator Peters (D-MI) provides high level bipartisan support. Last year Chairman Green was able to move the PIVOTT Act out of the House Homeland Security Committee on a unanimous bi-partisan vote.
ISA has labeled workforce development and the PIVOTT Act in specifics as its number one (but not our only) legislative priority for this Congress.
Larry
