Legislator: Proposal provides tools for state to better respond to cyber-attacks

The House Oversight Committee today unanimously approved state Rep. Matt Hall’s (R-Marshall) plan making much-needed updates to the Cyber Civilian Corps Act to better the state’s capabilities of responding to cybersecurity emergencies.

Hall’s proposal came in the wake of a 2019 performance audit that found issues within the Michigan Cyber Civilian Corps (MiC3) program regarding background checks of volunteers and training requirements. The House Oversight Committee, chaired by Hall, hosted a hearing looking into the issues found by the Auditor General.

The MiC3 program was formally established in 2017, and is made up of a group of civilian volunteers with expertise in cyber-security to provide rapid assistance to municipal, educational, and business organizations in the event of a critical cyber incident.
Hall said after gaining insight on the MiC3 program and given that it has only been in existence for a short period, his plan paves the way for MiC3 to better respond to cybersecurity incidents.

“In this day and age, we need to provide all the tools we can to combat those who would undermine and attack our cyber systems and our critical infrastructure,” Hall said. “Cyber-attacks are a threat to our personal information and Michigan needs to be prepared to fend off these attacks with a trusted group of cyber defenders.”

Under the legislation spearheaded by Hall, MiC3 would be required to establish and maintain a formal process to track volunteer and advisor trainings. The proposal also would require MiC3 to develop a framework of priority in the event where multiple clients requiring assistance simultaneously.

House Bills 5426 and 5427 now move to the House Ways and Means Committee for further consideration.