Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.
This bill adds cybersecurity technical assistance to the USDA National Rural Water and Wastewater Circuit Rider Program for systems serving fewer than 10,000 people. It directs assistance to assess cyber defenses and implement cybersecurity plans, procedures, and technologies.
Liberals emphasize equity and public-health protections for small systems
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a focused substantive amendment to an existing statutory program that clearly integrates into current law and provides explicit additional funding for cybersecurity technical assistance.
This bill adds cybersecurity technical assistance to the USDA National Rural Water and Wastewater Circuit Rider Program for systems serving fewer than 10,000 people.
It directs assistance to assess cyber defenses and implement cybersecurity plans, procedures, and technologies.
The bill also extends and increases program funding to $32,500,000 annually for fiscal years 2026–2030, with $7,500,000 per year reserved for cybersecurity technical assistance.
Modest, technical proposal with bipartisan appeal and limited cost, but depends on committee action and future appropriations.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a focused substantive amendment to an existing statutory program that clearly integrates into current law and provides explicit additional funding for cybersecurity technical assistance. It defines the core services to be added but leaves operational design, oversight, and performance measurement largely to existing program structures without further specification.
Liberals emphasize equity and public-health protections for small systems
These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.
Liberals emphasize equity and public-health protections for small systems
Likely supportive because the bill directs federal resources to vulnerable rural communities and protects public health infrastructure.
It aligns with priorities for equity, infrastructure resilience, and government action to address collective risks.
Generally favorable but pragmatic; supports targeted assistance for critical rural infrastructure while wanting clear oversight, measurable outcomes, and efficient use of the increased funds.
Views it as incremental and narrowly focused.
Cautiously supportive for rural constituents, but concerned about expanded federal spending and possible federal encroachment on local control.
More accepting if assistance remains voluntary and nonregulatory.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
Modest, technical proposal with bipartisan appeal and limited cost, but depends on committee action and future appropriations.
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
Liberals emphasize equity and public-health protections for small systems
Modest, technical proposal with bipartisan appeal and limited cost, but depends on committee action and future appropriations.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a focused substantive amendment to an existing statutory program that clearly integrates into current law and provides explicit additional funding for cybersecurit…
Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.