Requires certain State employees to receive training in cybersecurity best practices.

S3557

SENATE, No. 3557

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 19, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� LINDA R. GREENSTEIN

District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires certain State employees to receive training
in cybersecurity best practices.

�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

concerning State cybersecurity and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised
Statutes.

����
Be It Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New
Jersey:

���� 1.��� As used in this act:

���� a.���� "State
agency" means any of the principal departments in the Executive Branch of
the State Government, and any division, board, bureau, office, commission or
other instrumentality within or created by such department, the Legislature of
the State and any office, board, bureau or commission within or created by the
Legislative Branch, and, to the extent consistent with law, any interstate
agency to which New Jersey is a party and any independent State authority,
commission, instrumentality or agency.� A county or municipality shall not be
deemed an agency or instrumentality of the State.

���� b.��� "State
employee" means any person holding an office or employment in a State
agency, including a member of the Legislature.

���� 2.��� Every State employee who
has access to a State agency computer shall annually undergo cybersecurity
training incorporating best practices as presented by the New Jersey
Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell, established pursuant to
Executive Order No. 178 (2015) in the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security
and Preparedness.� The office may, in its discretion, make the training
available as an online course.� The training shall include, but need not be
limited to, updating passwords; detecting phishing scams; preventing
ransomware, spyware infections, and identity theft; and preventing and
responding to data breaches.

���� The Director of the Office of
Homeland Security and Preparedness shall adopt guidelines to implement the
requirements of this section.

���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill requires State
employees to receive training regarding using best safety practices while
utilizing State computers.

���� The bill requires the New
Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC) in the New
Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, to establish the
cybersecurity training program for all State employees in the Executive and
Legislative Branch of government who have access to a State computer.� The bill
requires the Director of the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness to
adopt guidelines to implement the program.

���� The training should include a
review of best practices for using State computers including updating
passwords; detecting phishing scams; preventing ransomware, spyware infections,
and identity theft; and preventing and responding to data breaches.

���� The NJCCIC provides
cybersecurity information sharing, threat analysis, and incident reporting.�
Located at the Regional Operations Intelligence Center (ROIC), the NJCCIC
promotes Statewide awareness of local cyber threats and widespread adoption of
best practices.

���� Cybersecurity is a growing
concern for State government and the private sector.� It has enormous
implications for government security, economic prosperity, and public safety.