[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7265 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7265
To improve assistance provided by the Hollings Manufacturing Extension
Partnership to small manufacturers in the defense industrial supply
chain on matters relating to cybersecurity, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 18, 2020
Mr. Panetta (for himself, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Ms. Slotkin,
Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Ruppersberger, Mr. Reschenthaler, Ms. Stevens, Mr.
Carbajal, and Mr. Suozzi) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve assistance provided by the Hollings Manufacturing Extension
Partnership to small manufacturers in the defense industrial supply
chain on matters relating to cybersecurity, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Small Manufacturer Cybersecurity
Enhancement Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The Office of the Director of National Intelligence
stated in its 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment that United
States adversaries and strategic competitors will increasingly
use cyber capabilities--including cyber espionage, attack, and
influence--to seek political, economic, and military advantage
over the United States and its allies.
(2) The Department of Defense recognizes that small
manufacturers operating in the defense supply chain are
particularly vulnerable to cyber attacks because they
frequently lack the necessary human and financial resources to
protect themselves.
(3) The Department of Defense is implementing its
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) to protect
Controlled Unclassified Information and critical United States
technology and information from cyber theft and hacking. All
defense contractors will need to comply with CMMC.
(4) The Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and
Sustainment has stated that smaller companies in the defense
supply chain might not be able to afford the Department of
Defense's increasingly demanding cybersecurity requirements,
but that the Department is committed to ensuring that such
companies get the resources they need to comply.
(5) According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are
more than 347,000 manufacturing establishments in the United
States, of which 72 percent have fewer than 20 employees and 99
percent have fewer than 500 employees.
(6) During the past 7 years the Hollings Manufacturing
Extension Partnership (MEP) Centers have worked closely with
the Department of Defense to bolster the resilience of the
defense industrial base supply chain by providing cybersecurity
services to small manufacturers. The MEP Centers have worked
with more than 26,000 small- and medium-sized manufacturers
nationwide in fiscal year 2019 alone.
(7) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Centers
are located in all 50 States and provide a nationwide network
that is--
(A) raising the awareness of small manufacturers to
cyber threats;
(B) helping small manufacturers comply with new
Department of Defense cybersecurity requirements; and
(C) helping small manufacturers understand that if
they do not comply with new Department of Defense
cybersecurity requirements, then they risk losing their
defense contracts.
(8) The Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership
Centers are well-positioned to aid small manufacturing
companies in the defense supply chain in complying with
cybersecurity requirements to protect controlled unclassified
information relevant to defense manufacturing supply chains.
SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE FOR SMALL MANUFACTURERS IN THE DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL
SUPPLY CHAIN ON MATTERS RELATING TO CYBERSECURITY.
(a) In General.--Subject to the availability of appropriations, the
Secretary of Defense, acting through the Office of Economic Adjustment
and in consultation with the Director of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, may make grants to a Center established under
the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership for the purpose of
providing cybersecurity services to small manufacturers.
(b) Criteria.--The Secretary shall establish and publish in the
Federal Register criteria for selecting grant recipients under this
section.
(c) Use of Funds.--Grant funds under this section--
(1) shall be used by a Center to provide small
manufacturers with cybersecurity services related to--
(A) compliance with the cybersecurity requirements
of the Department of Defense Supplement to the Federal
Acquisition Regulation, including awareness,
assessment, evaluation, preparation, and implementation
of cybersecurity services; and
(B) achieving compliance with the Cybersecurity
Maturity Model Certification framework of the
Department of Defense; and
(2) may be used by a Center to employ trained personnel to
deliver cybersecurity services to small manufacturers.
(d) Reports.--The Secretary shall submit to the congressional
defense committees a biennial report on grants awarded under this
section. To the extent practicable, each such report shall include the
following with respect to the years covered by the report:
(1) The number of small manufacturing companies assisted.
(2) A description of the cybersecurity services provided.
(3) A description of the cybersecurity matters addressed.
(4) An analysis of the operational effectiveness and cost-
effectiveness of the cybersecurity services provided.
(e) Termination.--The authority of the Secretary of Defense to make
grants under this section shall terminate on the date that is five
years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(f) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Center.--The term ``Center'' has the meaning given that
term in section 25(a) of the National Institute of Standards
and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k(a)).
(2) Congressional defense committees.--The term
``congressional defense committees'' has the meaning given that
term in section 101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code.
(3) Small manufacturer.--The term ``small manufacturer''
has the meaning given that term in section 1644(g) of the John
S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2019 (Public Law 115-232; 10 U.S.C. 2224 note).
<all>