text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Cyber Scholarship Opportunities Act 
  of 2017''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      Congress finds the following:
              (1) A well-trained workforce is essential to meeting the 
          Nation's growing cybersecurity needs.
              (2) A 2015 report by the National Academy of Public 
          Administration found that the United States faces a severe 
          shortage of properly trained and equipped cybersecurity 
          professionals.
              (3) A 2015 study of the information security workforce 
          found that the information security workforce shortfall is 
          widening.
              (4) The National Science Foundation's CyberCorps: 
          Scholarship-for-Service program is a successful effort to 
          support capacity building in institutions of higher education 
          and scholarships for students to pursue cybersecurity careers.
  
  SEC. 3. FEDERAL CYBER SCHOLARSHIP-FOR-SERVICE PROGRAM.
  
      Section 302 of the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014 (15 U.S.C. 
  7442) is amended--
              (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following: 
          ``Scholarship recipients shall include eligible students who 
          are pursuing an associate's degree in a cybersecurity field 
          without the intent of transferring to a bachelor's degree 
          program and either have a bachelor's degree already or are 
          veterans of the Armed Forces.'';
              (2) in subsection (d), by adding at the end the following: 
          ``In the case of a scholarship recipient who is pursuing a 
          doctoral or master's degree, such agreement may include (if 
          determined on a case-by-case basis by the Director of the 
          National Science Foundation to be appropriate and to further 
          the goals of the scholarship-for-service program) an agreement 
          for the recipient to work at an institution of higher education 
          or for a local educational agency teaching cybersecurity skills 
          for a period equal to the length of the scholarship following 
          receipt of such degree.'';
              (3) in subsection (f)--
                      (A) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the 
                  following:
              ``(3) have demonstrated a high level of competency in 
          relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities, as described in the 
          national cybersecurity awareness and education program under 
          section 401;''; and
                      (B) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the 
                  following:
              ``(4) be a student in an eligible degree program at a 
          qualified institution of higher education, as determined by the 
          Director of the National Science Foundation, who is--
                      ``(A) a full-time student; or
                      ``(B) a student who is enrolled for study leading 
                  to a degree on a less than full-time basis but not less 
                  than half-time basis; and'';
              (4) by striking subsection (m) and inserting the following:
      ``(m) Evaluation and Report.--
              ``(1) In general.--The Director of the National Science 
          Foundation shall evaluate and make public, in a manner that 
          protects the personally identifiable information of scholarship 
          recipients, information on the success of recruiting 
          individuals for scholarships under this section and on hiring 
          and retaining those individuals in the public sector workforce, 
          including on--
                      ``(A) placement rates;
                      ``(B) where students are placed;
                      ``(C) student salary ranges for students not 
                  released from obligations under this section;
                      ``(D) how long after graduation they are placed;
                      ``(E) how long they stay in the positions they 
                  enter upon graduation;
                      ``(F) how many students are released from 
                  obligations;
                      ``(G) what (if any) remedial training needs are 
                  required; and
                      ``(H) the number of determinations permitting 
                  scholarship recipients to fulfill their obligations at 
                  an institution of higher education or local educational 
                  agency pursuant to subsection (d) or in a critical 
                  infrastructure position pursuant to subsection (p)(1), 
                  and the reason for each such determination.
              ``(2) Regular reports.--The Director of the National 
          Science Foundation shall submit to Congress a report containing 
          the information described in paragraph (1) not later than 180 
          days after the date of enactment of the Cyber Scholarship 
          Opportunities Act of 2017 and not less than once every 2 years 
          thereafter.''; and
              (5) by adding at the end the following:
      ``(n) Resources.--The Director of the National Science Foundation 
  shall work with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to 
  establish an online resource center for the CyberCorps community that 
  consolidates or eliminates other relevant websites, if possible. Such 
  online resource center shall--
              ``(1) present up-to-date, accurate information about 
          existing scholarship programs and job opportunities;
              ``(2) present a modernized view of cybersecurity careers;
              ``(3) improve user friendliness; and
              ``(4) allow prospective job applicants to search positions 
          by State, salary, and title.
      ``(o) Cybersecurity at Kindergarten Through Grade 12 Level.--The 
  Director of the National Science Foundation, in coordination with other 
  Federal agencies as necessary, shall carry out a program to grow and 
  improve cybersecurity education at the kindergarten through grade 12 
  level that--
              ``(1) increases interest in cybersecurity careers;
              ``(2) helps students practice correct and safe online 
          behavior and understand the foundational principles of 
          cybersecurity; and
              ``(3) improves teaching methods for delivering 
          cybersecurity content for kindergarten through grade 12 
          computer science curricula.
      ``(p) Critical Infrastructure Protection.--Due to the need for 
  skilled cybersecurity professionals to protect the Nation's critical 
  infrastructure, the Director of the National Science Foundation may--
              ``(1) grant exceptions to students for fulfilling post-
          award employment obligations under this section (on a case-by-
          case basis and in coordination with other Federal agencies) who 
          agree to work in a critical infrastructure mission at a Federal 
          Government corporation or a State, local, or tribal government-
          affiliated asset, system, or network that is considered to be 
          part of a critical infrastructure sector as described in 
          Presidential Policy Directive-21, issued February 12, 2013 
          (related to critical infrastructure security and resilience), 
          or any successor; and
              ``(2) develop a pilot program to enhance critical 
          infrastructure protection training for students pursuing 
          careers in cybersecurity.
      ``(q) Studies.--The Director of the National Science Foundation, in 
  coordination with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, 
  shall assess--
              ``(1) the potential benefits and feasibility of granting 
          scholarship awards under this section to students who do not 
          possess a bachelor's degree to pursue an associate's degree or 
          an industry-recognized credential in a cybersecurity field; and
              ``(2) how scholarship recipients with an agreement to work 
          at an institution of higher education or local educational 
          agency are supporting the cyber workforce pipeline.''.
target: Cyber Scholarship Opportunities Act of 2017 This bill amends the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014 to require the federal cyber scholarship-for-service program that the National Science Foundation (NSF) coordinates with the Department of Homeland Security to include scholarship recipients who are students pursuing an associate's degree in a cybersecurity field without the intent of transferring to a bachelor's degree program and who either have a bachelor's degree already or are veterans of the Armed Forces. The post-award employment obligations of scholarship recipients pursuing a doctoral or master's degree may include work at an institution of higher education or for a local educational agency teaching cybersecurity skills. Scholarship eligibility factors are revised to include: (1) an individual's skills and abilities under the National Institute of Standards and Technology's national cybersecurity awareness and education program, and (2) students pursuing a degree on a less than full-time but not less than half-time basis. The NSF must work with the Office of Personnel Management to consolidate information about cyber scholarships programs and job opportunities into a single online resource center.  The NSF may carry out a program to improve cybersecurity education at the K-12 level. The NSF may: (1) grant exceptions from the post-award employment obligations to students who agree to work in a critical infrastructure mission at a federal government corporation or a state, local, or tribal government-affiliated component of a critical infrastructure sector; or (2) develop a pilot program to enhance critical infrastructure protection training for students pursuing careers in cybersecurity.
feat_title: Cyber Scholarship Opportunities Act of 2017