Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke’s proposal to protect the security of our Internet and electrical grid – the Homeland Security Cybersecurity Boots on the Ground Act – has been approved by the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and forwarded to the Committee on Homeland Security.

The bill, which requires the Department of Homeland Security to establish classifications for workers responsible for cybersecurity, and develop a strategy to recruit experts in cybersecurity, has bipartisan support, with Congressman Horsford of Nevada and Congressman Thompson of Mississippi, both Democrats, and Congressman Meehan of Pennsylvania, a Republican, as co-sponsors.

“The threat of an attack on our Internet infrastructure requires a comprehensive strategy to protect our electrical grid, our military installations, and our personal information,” said Congresswoman Clarke, the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity. “The number of cyberattacks has increased in recent years, as terrorist organizations and nations hostile to the United States have attempted to infiltrate systems that must remain secure. As ranking member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, I will work with my colleagues and President Obama to protect our national security and our economy. H.R. 3107 will contribute to our safety by establishing a process for recruiting and retaining high-level specialists in cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security that other federal agencies, and private companies, will have the ability to access.”

In addition, the bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to share the classifications for workers responsible for cybersecurity with other federal agencies, to assess the hiring and training programs for cybersecurity, to develop a plan for recruitment in the next decade, and to establish a process to verify that independent contractors hired by the agency provide information security training to their workers.

U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke is a member of the House Committee on Small Business, Ethics, and Homeland Security, where she is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies. She represents many neighborhoods in central and southern Brooklyn, NY which include Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, parts of Park Slope and Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.