Slotkin Headed to the White House Today as President Signs Cybersecurity Bill

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (MI-08) will head to the White House later this morning as President Joe Biden signs into law the K-12 Cybersecurity Act, a bipartisan bill she co-sponsored, which will help protect schools from emerging cyber threats.

As hackers target more facets of everyday American life, there is an urgent need to protect our schools from the threat of cyber attacks. This bipartisan legislation would increase coordination between schools and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). The bill directs the agency to work with teachers, school administrators, and experts in cybersecurity for education to:

• Conduct a study on cybersecurity risks facing K-12 institutions, including securing sensitive student/employee records, cybersecurity challenges stemming from remote learning, and how to make cybersecurity more accessible to schools;
• Develop recommendations and cybersecurity guidelines designed to assist K–12 educational institutions; and
• Release an online training toolkit for K-12 institutions.

"The real-world consequences of cyber attacks have hit home with Americans across the country over the last year," Slotkin said. "From the attacks directed at SolarWinds, the Colonial Pipeline, JBS USA and even EA video games, folks are beginning to realize that cybersecurity isn't just a tech issue -- it goes to the heart of the systems we rely on in our daily lives. Our schools aren't exempt from this emerging threat; in fact, they're prime targets. Our bill lays the groundwork for better cybersecurity policies in our schools and stronger coordination between them and the experts at CISA. This is an important first step, and I'm grateful to the President for helping us begin to address this challenge."

Slotkin — who sits on the cyber subcommittees of both the House Homeland Security and the House Armed Services Committees — has introduced a range of bills and amendments aimed at addressing the growing threat of cyberattacks.

In the aftermath of the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack in May, she introduced the CISA Cyber Exercise Act, a bipartisan bill that would create new ways for American businesses and governments to test their critical infrastructure against the threat of cyber attacks, and establish a National Cyber Exercise Program to test the U.S. response plan for major cyber incidents. The legislation passed the House in July with bipartisan support, and was also included as part of the House-passed version of the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act.

Last month, she introduced an amendment in the Homeland Security Committee to provide an additional $60 million for CISA's efforts to hunt down sophisticated cyber attackers — from groups backed by the intelligence services of Russia and China, to ransomware gangs — when they target America's networks and cloud technology.

###