Cornyn, Leahy, Cruz Introduce Bill to Boost State and Local Cyber Preparedness

Statement

U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act to authorize the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to work with the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium (NCPC) to address cybersecurity preparedness at the state and local level and respond to potential cybersecurity risks.

"With national security threats constantly evolving, we must take every precaution to ensure our communities are well-equipped to respond," said Sen. Cornyn. "State and local governments often don't have access to the same tools as entities at the federal level. This bill would allow two leading academic institutions in Texas to help train states and local governments to respond and mitigate a potential cyberattack."

"Cybersecurity is an imperative for us all. From large corporations to small businesses and individual Vermonters, to government agencies, our digital security is increasingly at risk," said Sen. Leahy. "I have long supported the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium to educate our communities to defend and recover from cyberattack. The bipartisan legislation we are introducing today will help to ensure continued collaboration between cybersecurity expertise developed at our nation's finest educational institutions and state and local governments. I am proud to support this bipartisan effort."

"The ever-increasing cyber threat, whether from state actors or rogue entities, requires continued vigilance to safeguard federal, state, and local infrastructure," said Sen. Cruz. "This bill will help ensure that state and local communities are able to receive training and preparation to strengthen their capabilities. I'm proud to work on legislation that is being spearheaded by Texas universities and appreciate the assistance of my colleagues to help our local and state officials fight and respond to cyberattacks."

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