The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation that aims to strengthen ties between universities and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The draft legislation, sponsored by Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), called the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act, allows DHS to provide training to state and local agencies to prepare for cybersecurity incidents, and conduct training exercises.
“It's critical that localities understand the impact cyber attacks could have on their ability to function, and are prepared to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from harmful cyber incidents, ”Castro said, in a statement.
“Inherently there is value in cooperation on cybersecurity issues,” said Authentic8 CEO Scott Petry, speaking with SCMagazine.com. “But do you need to pass legislation to make it happen?”
The legislation required a two-thirds majority to pass, and was approved 394-3 on Monday.
