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Oregon cybersecurity center asks legislature to nearly double state support to expand training and monitoring
Summary
Portland State, University of Oregon and Oregon State’s Oregon Cybersecurity Center of Excellence told the HECC education subcommittee it needs $11.3 million total to expand training, incident response and workforce development for local governments and school districts across Oregon.
Oregon’s new statewide cybersecurity center told the Ways and Means education subcommittee on May 1 it needs an increase in state funding to expand training, monitoring and incident-response services for local public entities.
The Oregon Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, established by HB 2049 in 2023, asked lawmakers to raise its appropriation from the initial $4.9 million to a total of $11.3 million to broaden services to school districts, cities, counties, tribes, educational service districts and other public entities.
Dr. Biroyeshilada, founding director of the center and a professor at Portland State University, told the committee OCCOE has trained 76 public entities and run tabletop exercises for another 44, and that “early detection and response are key.” He cited FBI figures that estimated cybercrime cost Americans about $12.5 billion in 2023 and said the agency estimated Oregon’s share at about $144 million in 2024.
OCCOE is a partnership among the University of Oregon, Portland State University and Oregon State University. The center partners with OSU’s ORT SOC, described in testimony as a hands‑on “cybersecurity teaching hospital” where students provide monitoring and incident response services for underserved organizations. OCCOE presentation materials and testimony said students investigated more than 400 security incidents in the first two years, with 10 incidents described as severe.
Committee members asked for more geographic detail on workforce openings OCCOE cited; Cochair Frederick asked whether the 5,000 unfilled information‑security positions could be mapped by region. Dr. Biroyeshilada responded she did not have a geographic breakdown at the hearing but said, “I can get it for you.”
In public testimony that followed the informational presentation, Greg Harden, a cybersecurity specialist and advisory council member for OCCOE, told the committee that the center fills a gap for local governments that often lack dedicated IT security staff. Harden urged passage of Senate Bill 5525’s OCCOE appropriation, saying the center provides “scalable training” and affordable threat monitoring for smaller jurisdictions.
No formal vote occurred during the hearing; OCCOE’s request will be considered as part of the HECC budget process and the subcommittee’s deliberations on SB 5525.
