A pair of senators has reintroduced a bill aimed at strengthening the federal cyber security workforce by enabling the temporary rotation of professionals among agencies.
The Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act was first introduced in the Senate last fall. The bill allows for cyber security professionals at federal agencies to rotate among agencies on a temporary basis to gain experience outside their home agencies.
“These rotations allow federal cyber professionals to develop multiagency and policy expertise on cyber threats and expand their professional networks,” said a press release from Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the ranking member on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and John Hoeven (R-N.D.), a member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee. The two were joined by Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the committee, and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) as original co-sponsors.
“Federal agencies face many challenges in recruiting and maintaining a skilled IT workforce,” Johnson said in a statement. “As a result, our committee must focus on the federal cyber talent gap. This bill helps make federal cyber security jobs more attractive for both current federal employees and future job-seekers.”