State Dept. Training Bill Advances; Bills Offered on Legacy IT, Cybersecurity
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has approved S-3492, which would boost professional training programs at the State Department with a focus on courses, methods, programs and opportunities with a clear link between required employee training and promotional opportunities and assignments.
The bill also would establish a position to serve as the principal director of training and academic programs across all disciplines within department, as well as a non-partisan outside board to provide independent oversight, including providing advice and recommendations regarding training at the Foreign Service Institute.
Meanwhile, among bills recently introduced in the Senate were:
* S-3879, to require agencies to develop inventories of legacy IT systems and produce modernization plans to update or replace them, under guidance OMB would have to issue. Sponsors said the bill would “reduce the federal government’s reliance on outdated and obsolete technology, which in turn will help reduce costs, strengthen cybersecurity, and improve customer experience for taxpayers.”
* S-3894, to put into law the DHS “continuous diagnostics and mitigation” program, a suite of cyber capabilities to provide real-time monitoring of federal agency networks; require the department to add capabilities including for cloud technology; establish policies for reporting cyber risks and incidents based upon data collected under CDM; and create a pilot program for extending the program’s capabilities to help state and local governments strengthen their cybersecurity.
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