President Signs into Law Bipartisan Bill Cosponsored by Senator Hassan to Strengthen Federal Cybersecurity Workforce

WASHINGTON – The President has signed into law bipartisan legislation cosponsored by Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, to help develop and retain highly skilled cybersecurity professionals in the federal workforce. Agencies across the federal government face growing cyber threats, but struggle to hire and retain qualified cybersecurity employees.

“To improve our federal government’s cybersecurity, it is essential that we invest in and hire cybersecurity experts,” said Senator Hassan. “Unfortunately, we know that federal agencies struggle to recruit and retain qualified employees, because agencies can’t compete with the salaries of private companies. By providing incentives to hire and retain cyber experts, this law can help protect our national security by strengthening our cyber defenses at the federal level. I’m proud to have worked with members of both parties to pass this bill into law.”

Government agencies often cannot compete with the salaries and other benefits offered by tech giants in Silicon Valley, but they provide valuable opportunities to serve the country and defend our cyber front lines. The Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act creates a civilian personnel rotation program for cybersecurity professionals at federal agencies. This program will enable employees to serve across multiple government agencies, allowing them to gain experience beyond their primary assignment and expand their professional networks. The legislation will provide opportunities to help attract and retain cybersecurity experts in the federal government by offering civilian employees opportunities to enhance their careers, broaden their professional experience, and foster collaborative networks by experiencing and contributing to the cyber mission beyond their home agencies.

Senator Hassan is leading bipartisan efforts to strengthen cybersecurity at every level of government. Senator Hassan successfully secured her bipartisan amendment in the most recent annual defense bill to ensure that the National Guard can help state and local governments and businesses improve their cybersecurity. In addition, Senator Hassan worked to pass into law her measure to create a Cybersecurity Coordinator in every state to help federal, state, and local governments, as well as schools, hospitals, and other entities, coordinate and better protect their systems against cyberattacks. Senator Hassan also helped secure a measure in the bipartisan infrastructure law to create and fund a state and local cybersecurity grant program.

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