Dive Brief:

• The National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO) said its members plan to ask Congress for help with cybersecurity and regulatory issues this year.
• NASCIO is appealing for more federal resources to assist in protecting states' data storage and critical infrastructure. 
• Generally, state CIOs only earmark about 2% of their IT budgets for cybersecurity.

Dive Insight:

NASCIO said it also plans to ask the Department of Homeland Security to reinforce the cyber programs it oversees that extend to the state level to "support the enhancement of cybersecurity preparedness, protection, response and recovery in the states," according to the group's fact sheet. 

In addition to funding restraints, states also face a shortage of skilled cybersecurity workers, NASCIO said.

The group said that although it wants federal help, it does not want that help to include more regulatory requirements, which are already hampering efforts to advance technology initiatives in the states.