A bill that would create a national group to help states and first responders improve cybersecurity overwhelmingly passed the House on Monday.
HR 4743, the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act of 2016, passed by a 394-3 vote. The bill now moves to the Senate, where it was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
The bill would authorize the Department of Homeland Security to establish a consortium to engage a full spectrum of academic, business and nonprofit partners, as well as those in federal, state and local governments, to address cybersecurity risks and incidents. This would include risks related to terrorism, according to a summary of the bill by the Congressional Research Service.
The bill called for the consortium to provide training and technical assistance to first responders, as well as training and simulation for governments, owners and operators of critical infrastructure, and private industry.
The consortium also would coordinate with the DHS National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center to help states and communities share information and help state and local officials incorporate cybersecurity risk, incident prevention and response into emergency plans.
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