State and local governments ask Senate for $300M in cyber grant funding

A group of associations representing state and local governments on Tuesday sent a letter to leaders of the Senate’s appropriations committee, requesting $300 million for one year of funding for the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program.

The groups, which in the letter called themselves “the collective voice of state and local governments,” said the funding level requested is consistent with the average funding level provided by the grant program during its first four years, after being created in 2021. The groups, which include the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, the National League of Cities and four other groups, said the funding would “enable state and local governments to continue strengthening their cybersecurity posture against constantly evolving threats.”

The letter points out that the request is consistent with legislation introduced last December by John Cornyn, a Republican senator from Texas, and Maggie Hassan, a Democrat from New Hampshire, that would reauthorize the program. Cornyn has said the legislation would ensure states are “equipped with the tools necessary to maintain vigilance and improve cybersecurity.” In their letter Tuesday, the associations said the grant funding has led to improved coordination between state and local governments, “improved cyber readiness and helped protect essential services such as emergency communications, public health systems, elections, transportation, and education.”

Aimed chiefly at improving gaps in cybersecurity capabilities in local governments, the program requires states accepting funds to spend 80% on services for local governments. In pursuit of meeting federal grant requirements, the SLCGP led many states to reorganize their cybersecurity practices, create new coordinating offices and conceive of their efforts through so-called “whole-of-state” cybersecurity strategies, in which state governments do not limit the scope of their responsibility to state agencies, but also provide assistance to local governments, academia and the private sector.

Though criticized by its participants for its onerous matching requirements, the federal grant program has been generally received favorably. In their letter Tuesday, the associations call on Senate leaders to pass a long-term reauthorization of the program. In addition to the Senate bill introduced by Hassan and Cornyn, the House has passed a bill that would fund the program through 2033.

State officials from Florida, New York and Tennessee last month testified before a House committee in favor of reauthorization, citing the many benefits the program has visited upon their states, while the federal government plays a diminished support role in state and local cyber operations. Colin Ahern, New York State’s director of security and intelligence, summarized the problem in his opening statement when he said that “our states are on the front lines of multiple cyber conflicts, yet we are being asked to manage nation-state risks while our federal partners step back.”