State Security Operations Center; create within the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services., the official text

MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2026 Regular Session

To: Technology

By: Senator(s) Williams, Blackmon

Senate Bill 2654

(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT TO CREATE A STATE SECURITY OPERATIONS CENTER (SSOC)
WITHIN THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES; TO
PROVIDE SERVICES RENDERED BY THE CENTER; TO PROVIDE THE DUTIES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SSOC; TO OUTLINE THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF AGENCIES; TO
GRANT THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT CERTAIN ENFORCEMENT POWERS; TO
AUTHORIZE THE SSOC TO COLLABORATE WITH CERTAIN PARTIES; TO ESTABLISH AN ANNUAL
REPORTING REQUIREMENT; TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT TO
ADOPT RULES, STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES NECESSARY TO CARRY OUT THIS ACT; TO
CREATE CERTAIN LIMITATIONS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE
LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1.
(1)  There is created within the Mississippi Department of Information
Technology Services (ITS), a State Security Operations Center (SSOC).  The SSOC
shall operate under the leadership of the Executive Director of ITS and in
direct coordination with the Enterprise Security Program established under Section
25-53-201.  The SSOC is intended to serve as the operational arm of statewide
cybersecurity, complementing but not supplanting the strategic, regulatory and
governance authorities already granted under Section 25-53-201.

(2)  The SSOC shall provide
centralized statewide cybersecurity operations, including:

(a)  Continuous
monitoring, alerting, threat detection and analysis of state
cyberinfrastructure, as defined by ITS;

(b)  Operational
incident response and mitigation;

(c)  Security
orchestration, automation and response functions;

(d)  Technical support
to the Enterprise Security Program regarding enforcement of statewide
cybersecurity requirements; and

(e)  Operational
execution of certain responsibilities assigned to ITS under Section 25-53-201.

SECTION 2.
The SSOC shall:

(a)  Develop
operational cybersecurity procedures to support policies adopted under Section
25-53-201;

(b)  Provide
centralized monitoring, threat intelligence, vulnerability identification and
incident response services to all state agencies subject to Section 25-53-201;

(c)  Coordinate with
the Enterprise Security Program to ensure statewide standards and controls are
technically implemented and enforced;

(d)  Notify state
agencies of active or emerging cyber threats;

(e)  Support agencies
in the containment, eradication and recovery from cybersecurity incidents; and

(f)  Provide technical
support for statewide penetration testing, security validation and continuous
monitoring activities required under Section 25-53-201.

SECTION 3.
(1)  All state agencies subject to Section 25-53-201 shall:

(a)  Comply with all
cybersecurity policies, standards and controls established under Section 25-53-201;

(b)  Report suspected
cybersecurity incidents to both the Enterprise Security Program and the SSOC
within timeframes set by ITS;

(c)  Cooperate with
SSOC monitoring, incident response and vulnerability remediation efforts; and

(d)  Implement
corrective actions or risk mitigation measures required by the Chief Information
Security Officer (CISO) under Section 25-53-201, informed by SSOC operational
findings.

(2)  The reporting
requirement under this section is in addition to Section 25-53-201(4).

SECTION 4.  If
an agency fails to comply with statewide cybersecurity requirements under
Section 25-53-201 or procedures executed by the SSOC under this act, the
Executive Director of ITS may:

(a)  Impose additional
oversight, monitoring or cybersecurity audit requirements;

(b)  Temporarily limit
access to ITS-managed systems or services until compliance is restored; or

(c)  Assess additional
fees for increased monitoring, remediation or risk exposure.

SECTION 5.
(1)  The SSOC is authorized to collaborate with:

(a)  The Mississippi
Office of Homeland Security;

(b)  Federal
cybersecurity centers and public-sector threat-intelligence partners; and

(c)  Any other entity
necessary to execute operational cybersecurity responsibilities.

(2)  Additionally, the SSOC
is authorized to collaborate with Mississippi's public universities and
community colleges, to develop a Cybersecurity Talent Pipeline Program to
support the statewide cybersecurity workforce.

SECTION 6.  On
or before January 1 of each year, the SSOC shall submit to the Executive
Director of ITS, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the
House and the ITS Board a report that includes:

(a)  Operational
performance and activities for the preceding year;

(b)  A summary of
statewide cybersecurity incidents and the SSOC's response actions;

(c)  Operational
challenges and resource needs; and

(d)  Goals and
priorities for the coming year.

SECTION 7.
The Executive Director of ITS may adopt rules, standards and procedures
necessary to carry out this act.

SECTION 8.
Nothing in this act shall:

(a)  Modify or reduce
the statewide cybersecurity authorities or responsibilities granted under
Section 25-53-201;

(b)  Limit the
authority of the Chief Information Security Officer; or

(c)  Affect the
governance, policy-making or regulatory functions of the Enterprise Security
Program.

SECTION 9.  This act
shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2026.