Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Training Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7777, the Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Training Act.

In policy discussions following recent cyber incidents, like SolarWinds and Colonial Pipeline, one constant area of concern to Congress and our cyber defenders, like the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, CISA, has been improving the Nation's workforce pipeline for cybersecurity and other STEM-related fields.

As the interconnectivity of our daily lives continues to grow, the estimated worldwide cost of cybercrime has risen to $6 trillion annually. Despite this alarming and growing threat, some estimates say that the cybersecurity workforce is currently short about 1 to 3 million qualified professionals.

A recent Center for Strategic and International Studies, CSIS, study of IT decisionmakers across eight countries found that 82 percent of employers report a shortage of cybersecurity skills, and 71 percent believe this talent gap causes direct and measurable damage to their organization.

Federal agencies have been working to bridge the gap in skills required to prepare a future cyber workforce.

CISA is collaborating closely with organizations like the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, to identify cyber knowledge deficits on a sector-by-sector basis. One example is the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education framework, which serves as a useful precursor for directing Federal resources into education and research priorities.

H.R. 7777 would require that CISA provide resources for the purpose of training cyber operators that are fluent across multiple segments of the cyber domain, not only information technology but also operational technology, like manufacturing systems and industrial control systems, which are commonplace within critical infrastructure sectors and are increasingly exposed to cyber risk.

We must continue to do all we can to improve our Nation's cyber posture and focus on policy that can help make our government and private sector critical infrastructure operations more resilient and prepared for future events.

Madam Speaker, I urge Members to join me in supporting H.R. 7777, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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