Yesterday, legislation was reintroduced to make it easier for cyber specialists to lend their expertise to other Federal agencies. The Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Act was first introduced to Congress in Sept. 2018.
The bill would “establish a civilian personnel rotation program for Federal cybersecurity professionals at agencies that confront cybersecurity challenges,” according to a press release from when the bill was first introduced. The program would operate on a short-term basis, with cybersecurity professionals serving no more than a year at another agency. The goal of the program is to help Federal cyber professionals “develop multiagency and policy expertise on cyber threats.”
“This bipartisan legislation will help ensure that the Federal government has the skilled workforce in place to combat emerging threats and help Federal employees cultivate new skills and expertise in this in-demand field,” Sen. Peters said in a statement.
When the bill was initially introduced, it was referred to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The bill was initially introduced by Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and John Hoeven, R-N.D., with Peters now being the ranking Democrat on the committee. The reintroduced bill now has two additional cosponsors in Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.
“Cybersecurity threats are increasing and the Federal government already faces a cyber-workforce shortage,” said Hoeven, when the bill was first introduced. “Our legislation will help retain our existing workforce while also boosting collaboration between agencies so we are better equipped to deal with sophisticated cybersecurity threats.”
