Committee approves cybersecurity bill to expand Utah Cyber Center and funding mechanism

A senator (speaker 21) presented second substitute SB123, saying federal funding for the cyber center is expiring and the bill adds entities to the cybersecurity commission, clarifies responsibilities to support educational institutions and creates a restricted account to receive appropriations, grants and donations. The sponsor characterized the measure as enhancing collaboration and protecting local governments and critical infrastructure.

K–12 representatives and district technical staff urged passage. Jason Ayer, who works in K–12 education, told the committee that school districts need more help defending students and systems; David Bowman of Jordan School District said more than half of K–12 students in Utah have been affected by cyber threats in the last two years and described ad hoc peer support among districts.

The committee adopted the bill with favorable recommendation to continue the state cyber center's work and the anticipated funding mechanism. The bill intends to preserve and expand statewide incident response capabilities as federal support declines.