Rep. Bahner outlines HF 5324 to fund local cybersecurity plans as commission hears MN.IT update and education testimony

St. Paul — Rep. Anne Bahner, chair of the Legislative Commission on Cybersecurity, presented HF 5324 on Nov. 22, 2024, proposing a statewide grant program to help local governments develop cybersecurity plans and programs. The commission also received a briefing from MN.IT on state and local cybersecurity grant work and incident-reporting, and heard testimony from education and workforce groups about growing demand for cybersecurity-trained students.

Rep. Bahner introduced the bill and described its purpose as enabling local governments to obtain resources for cybersecurity planning and program development. The transcript records witnesses testifying in support: Amy Middendorf, IT director at Morrison County, and Daniel Lightfoot, senior intergovernmental relations representative at the League of Minnesota Cities, both provided perspectives on local needs and implementation considerations. The bill number cited in the meeting is HF 5324; the transcript does not specify proposed funding amounts, eligibility criteria, or a committee action on the bill.

John Israel, assistant commissioner and chief information security officer at MN.IT, briefed the commission on MN.IT’s State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program and on the state’s cybersecurity incident-reporting processes. Israel’s presentation provided agency-level updates to legislators; specific program metrics or funding totals were not detailed in the meeting record.

Representatives of education and nonprofit organizations described efforts to expand computer science and cybersecurity education to build the pipeline of workers. Julia Wynn of Code.org, John Bartucz, teaching specialist in computer science at the University of Minnesota and former chair of Rochester Public Schools’ computer science program, and Vic Dreier, executive director of SciMathMn and senior director of School Success at Project Lead the Way, each summarized work underway in schools and emphasized the need for more students entering cybersecurity fields. The transcript does not list specific funding requests tied to those presentations.

Procedural notes: a quorum was present at 10:35 AM and Rep. Elkins moved to approve the Sept. 20, 2024 minutes; the motion carried (the transcript notes the motion prevailed but does not include a roll-call tally). The commission was called to order at 10:33 AM and adjourned at 12:08 PM.

Next steps were not specified in the meeting minutes included in the transcript. HF 5324 was discussed and received local-government testimony, but the record does not show a formal referral or committee vote on the bill during this session.