S.Amdt. 1708

SA 1708. Mrs. BLACKBURN (for herself and Mr. Lujan) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 1260, to establish a new Directorate for Technology and Innovation in the National Science Foundation, to establish a regional technology hub program, to require a strategy and report on economic security, science, research, innovation, manufacturing, and job creation, to establish a critical supply chain resiliency program, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of title V of division B, add the following:

SEC. ____. STUDY ON NATIONAL LABORATORY CONSORTIUM FOR CYBER RESILIENCE.

(a) Study Required.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall, in coordination with the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of Defense, conduct a study to analyze the feasibility of authorizing a consortia within the National Laboratory system to address information technology and operational technology cybersecurity vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure (as defined in section 1016(e) of the Critical Infrastructures Protection Act of 2001 (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)).

(b) Elements.--The study required under subsection (a) shall include the following:

(1) An analysis of any additional authorities needed to establish a research and development program to leverage the expertise at the Department of Energy National Laboratories to accelerate development and delivery of advanced tools and techniques to defend critical infrastructure against cyber intrusions and enable resilient operations during a cyber attack.

(2) Evaluation of potential pilot programs in research, innovation transfer, academic partnerships, and industry partnerships for critical infrastructure protection research.

(3) Identification of and assessment of near-term actions, and cost estimates, necessary for the proposed consortia to be established and effective at a broad scale expeditiously.

(c) Report.--

(1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the findings of the Secretary with respect to the study conducted under subsection (a).

(2) Form.--The report submitted under paragraph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.

(3) Appropriate committees of congress defined.--In this subsection, the term “appropriate committees of Congress” means--

(A) Committee on Armed Services, the Committee Energy and Natural Resources, and the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs of the Senate; and

(B) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives.