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House Bill Would Elevate Cyber Coordinators Office

Homeland Security Today: A House bill, released Friday by House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif, would elevate the cyber coordinators office which was closed by Rex Tillerson and then restored in February.

The bill would mandate an office of cyberspace and digital economy, which would be headed up by an official apponted by the President and Senate. The bill also states that the office would be elevated to a bureau of the Department of State, and the head would be elevated to an Assistant Secretary.

When Tillerson reinstated the cyber coordinator position in February, after the closure of the cyber office drew heavy criticism, he reduced its focus and housed it within the DoD economic bureau, so this bill would re-elevate the status of the role, which was previously held by Chris Painter.

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