Memo to U.S Representative
You work as a legislative research aide for U.S. House of Representative member Tito Canduit,
who faces a contested reelection bid in the fall. As he prepares for his reelection bid Rep.
Canduit wants to show voters/constituents his commitment to enacting legislation that protects
the American people from existing or looming cybersecurity threats. To do this Rep. Canduit
plans to roll out a series of letters to constituents about proposed or existing laws designed to
strengthen cybersecurity in the U.S. His hope is that voters will better understand cybersecurity
threats and appreciate what has been or is being done about it through the passage of good
legislation. Your job is to write a background research memo for him after you have identified one
such proposed or existing cybersecurity law. Rep. Canduit (not you) will later use your memo to
draft a letter to his constituents. See below for more instructions about your memo to him.
In other words, Rep. Canduit will review the research and analysis in your memo to him (but yes,
I will read it). Rep. Canduit will later use your memo to help him later compose a more personal
letter to voters. His letter will be the first in a series, but again, you will be writing only the
underlying research memo.
There are many new or proposed U.S. laws (e.g. the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection
Act; the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016; IOT Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2017)
designed to enhance cybersecurity in some manner. With just a little effort you will find many.
Instructions:
1. In your research, review existing (within past 10 years) and proposed U.S. cybersecurity laws
and identify one such law that you think is important.
2. Then write a memo. In doing so:
a. Cite it (preferably link it for me) and be clear about the law itself — is it under consideration or
has it been enacted into law?
b. Summarize the law as clearly as possible.
c. Describe the problem the law is trying to fix.Give some background, context and/or history.
d. Does the law fix the problem? Can the law be improved, and if so, how?
e. Any other observations? Remember, Rep. Canduit is your boss, he needs your help, and he’s
not a cybersecurity expert. Use your imagination. For example, is there any provision(s) in the
law that voters will relate to and might be emphasized in Rep. Canduit’s letter?
3. Your memo to Representative Canduit must be a minimum of 600 words. .
4. When writing your memo, use multiple sources, including credible Web resources, your
textbook and other resources more fully described below. List your sources at the end of the
memo.
General Rubric:
In grading your memo, I will consider 1) whether you have fully answered all requirements and
followed all instruction; 2) the quality of your work and reasoning; 3) your sources and depth of
research; and 4) the clarity and quality of your writing.
Guidance/Resources:
Consider starting with: https://www.loc.gov/law/find/legislative.php. In the search box try “U.S.
cybersecurity laws” or something similar
