Cybersecurity Workforce Assessment Act
Public Law 113-246 · H.R. 2952 · 113th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Dec 18, 2014 · Emergency Management
Sponsor: Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-PA-7)
Cosponsors (1): Rep. Yvette Clarke
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Cybersecurity Workforce Assessment Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, within 180 days and annually thereafter for three years, to conduct an assessment of the cybersecurity workforce of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which shall include information on:
• the readiness and capacity of such workforce to meet its cybersecurity mission;
• where cybersecurity workforce positions are located within DHS;
• which such positions are performed by permanent full-time equivalent DHS employees, by independent contractors, and by individuals employed by other federal agencies;
• which such positions are vacant;
• the percentage of individuals within each Cybersecurity Category and Specialty Area who received essential training to perform their jobs; and
• in cases in which such training was not received, what challenges were encountered regarding the provision of such training.
Directs the Secretary to develop, maintain, and update a comprehensive workforce strategy to enhance the readiness, capacity, training, recruitment, and retention of DHS's cybersecurity workforce, which shall include a description of:
• a multi-phased recruitment plan,
• a 5-year implementation plan,
• a 10-year projection of the cybersecurity workforce needs of DHS,
• any obstacle impeding the hiring and development of such workforce, and
• any gap in the existing DHS cybersecurity workforce and a plan to fill such gap.
Requires the Secretary to submit to the appropriate congressional committees: (1) annual updates on such assessment and on the Secretary's progress in carrying out such strategy; and (2) a report on the feasibility, cost, and benefits of establishing a Cybersecurity Fellowship Program to offer a tuition payment plan for individuals pursuing undergraduate and doctoral degrees who agree to work for DHS for an agreed-upon period.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Homeland Security Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
The record lists no related bills.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 27 actions.
- Dec 18, 2014Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 113-246.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 12, 2014FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 11, 2014Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendments Agreed to by voice vote.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Mr. Meehan moved that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendments.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with 40 minutes of debate on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendments to H.R. 2952.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- House actions: On motion that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendments Agreed to by voice vote.
- Dec 10, 2014FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment and an amendment to the Title by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Jul 29, 2014CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Jul 28, 2014FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 2952.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Meehan moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Jan 9, 2014CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 241.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Homeland Security. H. Rept. 113-324.
- Oct 29, 2013CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Sep 18, 2013CommitteeCommittee · Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote .
- CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Aug 9, 2013CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies.
- Aug 1, 2013CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
2 amendments offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 4002SenateSen. Thomas CarperD-DE· offered Dec 10, 2014Agreed to
To amend the title.
Dec 10, 2014: Amendment SA 4002 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 4001SenateSen. Thomas CarperD-DE· offered Dec 10, 2014Agreed to
In the nature of a substitute.
Dec 10, 2014: Amendment SA 4001 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.