Local governments seek funds for cybersecurity amid rising threats

Target and UnitedHealthcare spend untold amounts of money to prevent their information technology systems from a breach. But the bad guys have still been able to wreak havoc on both.

Local units of government across the state don’t have resources or staffing like Fortune 500 companies, but they too need to protect private information — children and family records and criminal justice are examples — and manage critical infrastructure with much less to spend.

“Failure to be vigilant is not an option in today’s world,” said Rep. Kristin Bahner (DFL-Maple Grove), adding it costs “a lot of taxpayer money” when a breach occurs.

She sponsors HF140 that, as amended, would create a state-funded local government cybersecurity grant program to be funded in fiscal year 2026 with $20 million from the General Fund.

The House State Government Finance and Policy Committee held the bill over Thursday for possible omnibus bill inclusion.

“We rely on our partners in local government to implement vital services to our citizens. The challenge is many of our counties, cities and smaller towns lack the staff or funding to upgrade aging equipment, software or modernize their cybersecurity infrastructure,” Bahner said.

Grants would be available for cities, counties or towns with a population greater than 5,000 “that currently lack the resources to directly benefit from other federal and state cybersecurity plans and programs.” There would be a $1 million cap per eligible entity.

Permissible expenditures could include general information technology services, storage and backup solutions, cloud-based backup and data storage services, email filtering solutions, web filtering, antivirus and endpoint protection, and firewalls.

“We believe that this language represents a solid beginning step in the fight to secure our local governments in cyberspace,” said Graham Berg-Moberg, in-house counsel for the Minnesota Association of Townships.