Ahead of November’s general election, U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) recently introduced a bipartisan bill that would direct the Election Assistance Commission to make payments to states to hire cyber navigators, who could provide election officials with access to risk management, resiliency and technical support services for administering federal elections.
“As we quickly approach November’s General Election, state and local governments must have the resources to ensure the integrity of their election systems,” said Rep. Katko, ranking member of the U.S. House Homeland Security Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Innovation Subcommittee.
“This bipartisan bill authorizes a grant program to enable state and local governments to hire cybersecurity professionals capable of detecting and addressing vulnerabilities within election systems to strengthen our election security,” the congressman said.
Rep. Katko on Aug. 11 sponsored the Cyber Navigators Act, H.R. 8011, with cosponsor U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY) to also help address the shortage in cyber experts at the state and local levels who can navigate the complexities of election systems and address vulnerabilities, according to a bill summary provided by his office.
“I’ve been working tirelessly with Democrats and Republicans to secure our election systems,” Rep. Katko added. “In a continuation of these efforts, I’m proud to announce the introduction of the Cyber Navigators Act.”
Most recently, for instance, Reps. Katko and Rice in July urged the New York State Board of Elections to immediately issue guidance for the 2020 general election that increases preparedness, strengthens election systems, combats disinformation campaigns, and ensures all voters have the means to safely and efficiently vote.
H.R. 8011 has been referred for consideration to the U.S. House Administration Committee.