15 U.S.C. § 7441 — Cybersecurity competitions and chal-

Page 2361 TITLE 15—COMMERCE AND TRADE § 7441 including cash and noncash prizes, competi- tively pursuant to the authorities and proc- esses established under section 3719 of this title or any other applicable provision of law. (3) Additional authorities In carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary may enter into and perform such other trans- actions as the Secretary considers necessary and on such terms as the Secretary considers appropriate. (4) Coordination In pursuing national cybersecurity chal- lenges under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall coordinate with the following: (A) The Director of the National Science Foundation. (B) The Secretary of Homeland Security. (C) The Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. (D) The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. (E) The Director of the Office of Manage- ment and Budget. (F) The Administrator of the General Services Administration. (G) The Federal Trade Commission. (H) The heads of such other Federal agen- cies as the Secretary of Commerce considers appropriate for purposes of this section. (5) Solicitation of acceptance of funds (A) In general Pursuant to section 3719 of this title, the Secretary shall request and accept funds from other Federal agencies, State, United States territory, local, or Tribal government agencies, private sector for-profit entities, and nonprofit entities to support efforts to pursue a national cybersecurity challenge under this section. (B) Rule of construction Nothing in subparagraph (A) may be con- strued to require any person or entity to provide funds or otherwise participate in an effort or competition under this section. (c) Recommendations (1) In general In carrying out this section, the Secretary of Commerce shall designate an advisory council to seek recommendations. (2) Elements The recommendations required by paragraph (1) shall include the following: (A) A scope for efforts carried out under subsection (b). (B) Metrics to assess submissions for prizes under competitions carried out under sub- section (b) as the submissions pertain to the national cybersecurity challenges estab- lished under subsection (a). (3) No additional compensation The Secretary may not provide any addi- tional compensation, except for travel ex- penses, to a member of the advisory council designated under paragraph (1) for participa- tion in the advisory council. (Pub. L. 113–274, title II, § 205, as added Pub. L. 116–283, div. H, title XCIV, § 9407(a), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4813.) SUBCHAPTER II—EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT § 7441. Cybersecurity competitions and chal- lenges (a) In general The Secretary of Commerce, Director of the National Science Foundation, and Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Di- rector of the Office of Personnel Management, shall— (1) support competitions and challenges under section 3719 of this title (as amended by section 105 of the America COMPETES Reau- thorization Act of 2010 (124 Stat. 3989)) or any other provision of law, as appropriate— (A) to identify, develop, and recruit tal- ented individuals to perform duties relating to the security of information technology in Federal, State, local, and tribal government agencies, and the private sector; or (B) to stimulate innovation in basic and applied cybersecurity research, technology development, and prototype demonstration that has the potential for application to the information technology activities of the Federal Government; and (2) ensure the effective operation of the com- petitions and challenges under this section. (b) Participation Participants in the competitions and chal- lenges under subsection (a)(1) may include— (1) students enrolled in grades 9 through 12; (2) students enrolled in a postsecondary pro- gram of study leading to a baccalaureate de- gree at an institution of higher education; (3) students enrolled in a postbaccalaureate program of study at an institution of higher education; (4) institutions of higher education and re- search institutions; (5) veterans; and (6) other groups or individuals that the Sec- retary of Commerce, Director of the National Science Foundation, and Secretary of Home- land Security determine appropriate. (c) Affiliation and cooperative agreements Competitions and challenges under this sec- tion may be carried out through affiliation and cooperative agreements with— (1) Federal agencies; (2) regional, State, or school programs sup- porting the development of cyber profes- sionals; (3) State, local, and tribal governments; or (4) other private sector organizations. (d) Areas of skill Competitions and challenges under subsection (a)(1)(A) shall be designed to identify, develop, and recruit exceptional talent relating to— (1) ethical hacking; (2) penetration testing; (3) vulnerability assessment; (4) continuity of system operations; (5) security in design; (6) cyber forensics; (7) offensive and defensive cyber operations; and Page 2362 TITLE 15—COMMERCE AND TRADE § 7442 (8) other areas the Secretary of Commerce, Director of the National Science Foundation, and Secretary of Homeland Security consider necessary to fulfill the cybersecurity mission. (e) Topics In selecting topics for competitions and chal- lenges under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary of Commerce, Director of the National Science Foundation, and Secretary of Homeland Secu- rity— (1) shall consult widely both within and out- side the Federal Government; and (2) may empanel advisory committees. (f) Internships The Director of the Office of Personnel Man- agement may support, as appropriate, intern- ships or other work experience in the Federal Government to the winners of the competitions and challenges under this section. (Pub. L. 113–274, title III, § 301, Dec. 18, 2014, 128 Stat. 2981.) Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT Section 3719 of this title (as amended by section 105 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (124 Stat. 3989)), referred to in subsec. (a)(1), probably means section 3719 of this title as enacted by section 105(a) of Pub. L. 111–358. § 7442. Federal Cyber Scholarship-for-Service Program (a) In general The Director of the National Science Founda- tion, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management and Secretary of Homeland Security, shall continue a Federal cyber scholarship-for-service program to recruit and train the next generation of information technology professionals, industrial control sys- tem security professionals, and security man- agers to meet the needs of the cybersecurity mission for Federal, State, local, and tribal gov- ernments. (b) Program description and components The Federal Cyber Scholarship-for-Service Program shall— (1) provide scholarships through qualified in- stitutions of higher education, including com- munity colleges, to students who are enrolled in programs of study at institutions of higher education leading to degrees or specialized program certifications in the cybersecurity field and cybersecurity-related aspects of other related fields as appropriate, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing and aerospace; (2) provide the scholarship recipients with summer internship opportunities or other meaningful temporary appointments in the Federal information technology and cybersecurity workforce; (3) prioritize the placement of scholarship recipients fulfilling the post-award employ- ment obligation under this section to ensure that— (A) not less than 70 percent of such recipi- ents are placed in an executive agency (as defined in section 105 of title 5); (B) not more than 10 percent of such re- cipients are placed as educators in the field of cybersecurity at qualified institutions of higher education that provide scholarships under this section; and (C) not more than 20 percent of such re- cipients are placed in positions described in paragraphs (2) through (5) of subsection (d); and (4) provide awards to improve cybersecurity education, including by seeking to provide awards in coordination with other relevant agencies for summer cybersecurity camp or other experiences, including teacher training, in each of the 50 States, at the kindergarten through grade 12 level— (A) to increase interest in cybersecurity careers; (B) to help students practice correct and safe online behavior and understand the foundational principles of cybersecurity; (C) to improve teaching methods for deliv- ering cybersecurity content for kindergarten through grade 12 computer science curricula; and (D) to promote teacher recruitment in the field of cybersecurity. (c) Scholarship amounts Each scholarship under subsection (b) shall be in an amount that covers the student’s tuition and fees at the institution under subsection (b)(1) for not more than 3 years and provides the student with an additional stipend. (d) Post-award employment obligations Each scholarship recipient, as a condition of receiving a scholarship under the program, shall enter into an agreement under which the recipi- ent agrees to work for a period equal to the length of the scholarship, following receipt of the student’s degree, in the cybersecurity mis- sion of— (1) an executive agency (as defined in section 105 of title 5); (2) Congress, including any agency, entity, office, or commission established in the legis- lative branch; (3) an interstate agency; (4) a State, local, or Tribal government; (5) a State, local, or Tribal government-af- filiated non-profit that is considered to be critical infrastructure (as defined in section 5195c(e) of title 42); or (6) as provided by subsection (b)(3)(B), a qualified institution of higher education. (e) Hiring authority (1) Appointment in excepted service Notwithstanding any provision of chapter 33 of title 5 governing appointments in the com- petitive service, an agency shall appoint in the excepted service an individual who has com- pleted the eligible degree program for which a scholarship was awarded. (2) Noncompetitive conversion Except as provided in paragraph (4), upon fulfillment of the service term, an employee appointed under paragraph (1) may be con- verted noncompetitively to term, career-con- ditional or career appointment.