NY State Senate Bill S6154

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Veterans, Homeland Security And Military Affairs Committee

Introduced
In Committee
On Floor Calendar
- Passed Senate
- Passed Assembly
Delivered to Governor
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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Apr 12, 2021	referred to veterans, homeland security and military affairs

S6154 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Veterans, Homeland Security And Military Affairs
Law Section:: Executive Law
Laws Affected:: Add §719, Exec L; add §91-h, St Fin L
Versions Introduced in 2019-2020 Legislative Session:: S7246

S6154 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Creates a cyber security enhancement fund to be used for the purpose of upgrading cyber security in local governments, including but not limited to, villages, towns and cities with a population of one million or less; restricts the use of taxpayer moneys in paying ransoms in response to ransomware attacks.

S6154 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

 
BILL NUMBER: S6154

SPONSOR: BOYLE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the executive law and the state finance law, in relation
to cyber security enhancement funding; and to restrict the use of
taxpayer moneys in paying ransoms

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This bill creates the Cyber Security Enhancement Fund that will make
available grants and financial assistance to villages, towns, and cities
with a population of one million or less for the purpose of upgrading
the cyber security of their local government. The moneys from the cyber
security enhancement fund shall be disbursed by the division of homeland
security and emergency services.

Additionally, this bill establishes that no local or state taxpayer
funds shall be used to pay ransoms for ransomware attacks after January
1, 2024.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Requires that the commissioner of the division of homeland
security and emergency services establishes a program for upgrading the
cyber security of local governments including towns, villages, and
cities with a population of one million or less to be paid for by the
cyber security enhancement fund.

Section 2: Establishes the cyber security enhancement fund to be jointly
controlled by the state comptroller and the commission of taxation and
finance. The fund is to consist of five million dollars transferred from
the general fund that will be used to provide grants and other financial
assistance to local governments for upgrading their cyber security.

Section 3: Requires that state and local taxpayer funds no longer be
used to pay ransoms for ransomware attacks after January 1, 2024.

Section 4. Establishes effective date

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The United States Department of Homeland Security defines ransomware as
a type of malicious software, or malware, designed to deny access to a
computer system or data until a ransom is paid. In addition to the cost
of paying the ransoms themselves, which have been tens if not hundreds
of thousands of dollars themselves, ransomware attacks disrupt key
governmental services, recovery from which has cost some cities upwards
of ten million dollars.

Ransomware attacks on local governments and local government agencies,
such as school districts and police departments, have steadily been on
the rise since they first began to appear in 2013. This is because local
governments have fewer resources dedicated to protect their electronic
data, making them easy targets. This includes an attack in April 2019 in
Albany, NY which shut down many city services and interfered with police
responses to non-emergency calls. If nothing is done, such attacks will
continue to occur and have the potential to cost New York Taxpayers
millions of dollars in ransom payments and repairs to government
services. Addressing this issue requires that we invest in the cyber-se-
curity of our local governments. There are many technologies available
that can help prevent these attacks; they simply need to be implemented
by local governments.

A small investment in local government cyber security now, can help stop
cyber-criminals from profiting on the backs of New York State taxpayers
and protect important state and local government services from
disruption. This bill will do this by creating a fund from which local
governments can receive grants and other forms of financial assistance
to upgrade their cybersecurity and prevent these attacks.  To incentiv-
ize these upgrades, the bill will prevent state and local governments
from paying ransoms for ransomware attacks after January 1, 2024 by
which time they should be able to sufficiently upgrade their cyber-se-
curity systems.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2020: Referred to Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

$5 million from the general fund.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

S6154 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6154
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              April 12, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  BOYLE  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Securi-
   ty and Military Affairs
 
 AN ACT to amend the executive law and the state finance law, in relation
   to cyber security enhancement funding; and  to  restrict  the  use  of
   taxpayer moneys in paying ransoms

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 719 to
 read as follows:
   § 719. CYBER SECURITY ENHANCEMENT. 1. THE COMMISSIONER OF THE DIVISION
 OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY SERVICES SHALL  ESTABLISH  A  PROGRAM
 FOR  THE  PURPOSE  OF  UPGRADING  CYBER  SECURITY  IN LOCAL GOVERNMENTS,
 INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, VILLAGES, TOWNS AND CITIES  WITH  A  POPU-
 LATION OF ONE MILLION OR LESS.
   2.  ALL  COSTS OF SUCH PROGRAM SHALL BE PAID FOR BY THE CYBER SECURITY
 ENHANCEMENT FUND, ESTABLISHED  BY  SECTION  NINETY-ONE-H  OF  THE  STATE
 FINANCE LAW.
   §  2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 91-h to
 read as follows:
   § 91-H. CYBER SECURITY ENHANCEMENT FUND. 1.  THERE  IS  HEREBY  ESTAB-
 LISHED IN THE JOINT CUSTODY OF THE STATE COMPTROLLER AND THE COMMISSION-
 ER  OF  TAXATION  AND  FINANCE  A FUND TO BE KNOWN AS THE CYBER SECURITY
 ENHANCEMENT FUND.
   2. SUCH FUND SHALL CONSIST OF FIVE MILLION DOLLARS TRANSFERRED BY  THE
 STATE COMPTROLLER FROM THE GENERAL FUND, AND CONTRIBUTIONS CONSISTING OF
 GRANTS,  INCLUDING  GRANTS OR OTHER FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FROM ANY AGENCY
 OF GOVERNMENT AND ALL MONEYS REQUIRED BY THE PROVISIONS OF THIS  SECTION
 OR ANY OTHER LAW TO BE PAID INTO OR CREDITED TO THE FUND.
   3.  THE  MONEYS  FROM  THE  CYBER  SECURITY  ENHANCEMENT FUND SHALL BE
 DISBURSED BY THE DIVISION OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY SERVICES TO
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD10640-01-1

 S. 6154                             2
 
 BE EXPENDED TO UPGRADE THE CYBER SECURITY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS,  INCLUD-
 ING  BUT NOT LIMITED TO, VILLAGES, TOWNS AND CITIES WITH A POPULATION OF
 ONE MILLION OR LESS, PURSUANT TO SECTION SEVEN HUNDRED NINETEEN  OF  THE
 EXECUTIVE LAW.
   §  3. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, after January first,
 two thousand twenty-four, local and state taxpayer moneys shall  not  be
 used to pay ransoms in response to ransomware attacks.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.

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The New York State Senate

senate Bill S6154

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Veterans, Homeland Security And Military Affairs Committee

Your Voice

Actions

S6154 (ACTIVE) - Details

S6154 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S6154 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S6154 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

senate Bill S6154

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Sponsored By

Phil Boyle

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Veterans, Homeland Security And Military Affairs Committee

Your Voice

Actions

S6154 (ACTIVE) - Details

S6154 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S6154 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S6154 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments