Act No. 71 Page 1 of 1
2023
This act summary is provided for the convenience of the public and members of the General Assembly. It
is intended to provide a general summary of the act and may not be exhaustive. It has been prepared by the
staff of the Office of Legislative Counsel without input from members of the General Assembly. It is not
intended to aid in the interpretation of legislation or to serve as a source of legislative intent.
Act No. 71 (H. 291). An act relating to the creation of the Cybersecurity Advisory Council
Subjects: Executive; information technology; Agency of Digital Services;
cybersecurity; critical infrastructure
This act creates the Cybersecurity Advisory Council to advise on the State’s
cybersecurity infrastructure, best practices, communications protocols, standards,
training, and safeguards.
Sec. 1 of this act establishes the Council and relevant definitions in 20 V.S.A. chapter
208. The Council is composed of 11 members and the Chief Information Officer serves
as Chair. Among other responsibilities, the Council is required to develop a strategic
plan for protecting the State’s public sector and private sector information and systems
from cybersecurity attacks, evaluate statewide cybersecurity readiness, and conduct an
inventory and review of cybersecurity standards and protocols for critical sector
infrastructures. The Council is authorized to enter into executive session for certain
reasons that are in addition to the considerations listed in 1 V.S.A. § 313 and also has a
public records act exemption regarding cybersecurity standards, protocols, and incident
responses, if the disclosure would jeopardize public safety.
Sec. 2 of this act amends the definition of “critical infrastructure” in 11 V.S.A. § 1701.
Sec 3. of this act requires the Council to include in its annual report due on January 15,
2024 any recommendations on whether to amend the definition of “essential supply
chain”.
Sec. 4 of this act sunsets the Council on June 30, 2028.
Effective Date: July 1, 2028
VT LEG #370901 v.2


Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 11-1701
As Passed By the House -- Official: 11-1701, 20-208
As Passed By the House -- Unofficial: 11-1701, 20-208
As Passed by Both House and Senate -- Official: 11-1701, 20-208
As Passed by Both House and Senate -- Unofficial: 11-1701, 20-208
As Enacted: 11-1701, 20-208