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Attorney general's office supports shifting cybersecurity council appointments to governor and letting council pick its chair
Summary
The attorney general's office testified for House Bill 376, saying the Maryland Cybersecurity Council should be chaired and populated in ways more closely tied to cybersecurity practice. The bill would move appointment authority for some outside members from the attorney general to the governor and let the council select its own chair.
Howard Barr, assistant attorney general and principal counsel to the Department of Information Technology, testified the Office of the Attorney General "respectfully urges this committee to report favorably on House Bill 376," which would change how the Maryland Cybersecurity Council selects its chair and some outside members. Barr said currently the attorney general chairs the council and appoints a number of outside members; the bill would make the attorney general a council member while shifting appointment authority to the governor and permitting the council to select its chair.
Barr told the committee the attorney general's office believed the council would be better chaired by individuals more directly tied to cybersecurity practice. John Fiestro, lobbyist for the Cybersecurity Association (formerly CAMI), asked the committee to add an amendment naming the Cybersecurity Association as a distinct member of the council, describing the association as representing more than 600 members across the state and region and saying the association has been a long-standing participant on the council.
Delegate Hill asked whether the Cybersecurity Association amendment would create additional seats or reallocate existing slots; Fiestro replied the proposal would add one titularly named seat and would be a net increase of one position. The bill was assigned to subcommittee for further review.
