Bipartisan Cyber Legislation To Include Increased Emphasis on Training and Certification, Ditch Presidential Emergency Powers

Forthcoming bipartisan cybersecurity legislation from Senators J. Rockefeller (D-WV) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) will undergo some significant modifications.  The revised legislation will remove a controversial provision that enables the President to effectively turn off the internet in the event of a major cyber attack and feature a greater emphasis on training and certification for federal cyber professionals in order to ensure that the government employs a properly trained workforce, properly educated and trained to thwart high-tech threats.

According to Nextgov, “Under the proposal, uncertified individuals could not represent themselves as such nor could uncertified service providers handle critical infrastructure information systems or networks.”

The legislation will retain a call for a National Science Foundation scholarship program for budding cybersecurity experts. A hearing and a markup session will occur in September or October.

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