HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1741        FILED ON: 1/18/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 66

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Bradley H. Jones, Jr.

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to cyberattack response in Massachusetts.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Bradley H. Jones, Jr.

20th Middlesex

1/17/2023

Kelly W. Pease

4th Hampden

1/25/2023

Nicholas A. Boldyga

3rd Hampden

1/26/2023

Susan Williams Gifford

2nd Plymouth

1/26/2023

F. Jay Barrows

1st Bristol

1/26/2023

Kimberly N. Ferguson

1st Worcester

2/1/2023


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1741        FILED ON: 1/18/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 66

By Representative Jones of North Reading, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 66) of Bradley H. Jones, Jr., and others relative to cyberattack responses.  Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

_______________

 

An Act relative to cyberattack response in Massachusetts.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 1 of Chapter 639 of the Acts of 1950, as amended by Chapter 54 of the Acts of 2014, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “causes” the following:-

“; or by cybersecurity attack or threat thereof that affects the commonwealth’s critical infrastructure, information systems owned or operated by the commonwealth, or other infrastructure or cyber systems deemed necessary and at risk by the governor.”

SECTION 2. Section 1 of Chapter 639 of the Acts of 1950, as amended by Chapter 54 of the Acts of 2014, is hereby amended by inserting after the definition of “Civil defense” the following definitions:-

“Critical Infrastructure” shall mean the systems and assets within the commonwealth, either physical or virtual, so vital to the commonwealth or the United States that the incapacitation or destruction of such systems would have a debilitating impact on physical security, economic security, public health or safety, or any combination of those matters. This can include, but is not limited to: election systems, transportation infrastructure, water, gas, and electric utilities.

“Cybersecurity attack” shall mean an attack, via electronic means, targeting the commonwealth’s use of cyberspace for the purpose of disrupting, disabling, destroying, or maliciously controlling a computing environment or infrastructure; or destroying the integrity of the data or stealing controlled information.

“Cyber System” shall mean the network of hardware, software, procedures, and people put in place by companies, individuals, or governments that can connect to the Internet.