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- The Mississippi Senate select committee will examine what other states, including Utah, Florida, and Georgia, have done to address cybersecurity threats.
Lieutenant Governor Hosemann (R) announced the creation of the Senate Select Committee on Cybersecurity last week. The committee will now hold hearings and recommend legislation for the 2027 legislative session.
Hosemann said that the state has “a responsibility to ensure our laws keep pace with these evolving threats and provide law enforcement with the tools needed to protect Mississippians.”
The committee will be co-chaired by Senators Bart Williams (R) and Tyler McCaughn (R).
Senators Bradford Blackmon (D), Scott DeLano (R), Jeremy England (R), and Rod Hickman (D) will also serve on the select committee.
Senator Williams, a Republican who represents Choctaw, Montgomery, Oktibbeha, and Webster counties, said that Mississippi has made strides in protecting against cybersecurity threats. He pointed to the creation of the Cyber Security Review Board and the State Security Operations Center.
However, Williams believes those efforts should just be the start.
“We’re in a good place, but we need to be in a better place,” Williams said.
The Senate select committee will examine what other states, including Utah, Florida, and Georgia, have done to address cybersecurity threats with the goal of presenting to the legislature “actionable items” and “practical recommendations,” Williams said.
Senator DeLano, a Republican who represents Harrison County, said the committee should “bring in some subject matter experts and bring more awareness to this issue.”
The Coast Senator said educating the public, particularly older Mississippians, should be a priority for the state.
“Before you can ask for buy-in, you have to raise awareness of what the issues are, ” DeLano added.
Williams agreed, saying “education to me is one of the biggest things we can do” to combat cybercrime. He said that simple steps can help prevent phishing attacks, where someone clicks on a malicious email and is compromised.
“We want to protect Mississippians and their assets,” Williams said. “This could be hundreds of millions of dollars that are at stake. We hope to minimize that.”
