[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7625 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7625
To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a
review of the budget, resources, and capabilities of the Coast Guard as
the co-Sector Risk Management Agency for the marine transportation
system.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 20, 2026
Mr. McDowell introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the
Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a
review of the budget, resources, and capabilities of the Coast Guard as
the co-Sector Risk Management Agency for the marine transportation
system.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Marine Transportation System
Cybersecurity Budget and Evaluation Report Act of 2026'' or the ``MTS
CYBER Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Maritime trade is essential to America's economic
stability, supporting $2,100,000,000,000 in economic activity,
or 41.5 percent of the global trade value of the United States.
(2) The increasing frequency and severity of cyber threats
to the marine transportation system (hereinafter referred to as
``MTS'') presents economic and national security risks.
(3) The Department of Homeland Security and the Department
of Transportation are designated as co-Sector Risk Management
Agencies (hereinafter referred to as ``SRMAs'') for the MTS
under Presidential Policy Directive 21, with further delegation
of responsibilities to agencies such as the Coast Guard and the
Transportation Security Administration as outlined in
implementing documents.
(4) Executive Order 14116, issued by President Biden in
February 2024, expands the United States Coast Guard's
regulatory authorities to strengthen MTS cybersecurity.
(5) The Coast Guard issued a final cybersecurity rule,
``Cybersecurity in the Marine Transportation System'',
establishing mandatory incident reporting for regulated
entities, significantly expanding the Coast Guard's
cybersecurity oversight responsibilities.
(6) Through the Investing in America Agenda, the Biden
administration dedicated $20,000,000,000 for United States port
infrastructure, but it fails to specify cybersecurity-specific
spending allocations to provide the Coast Guard with adequate
resources and funding.
(7) The Coast Guard remains underfunded and understaffed
for the purpose of sector risk management.
(8) The ability of the Coast Guard to fulfill SRMA duties
is contingent upon adequate budgetary resources and a healthy
workforce.
(9) A Government Accountability Office audit is necessary
to assess the budget and capabilities of the Coast Guard as an
SRMA to ensure it can fulfill responsibilities for protecting
the MTS against cyber threats.
SEC. 3. COAST GUARD SECTOR RISK MANAGEMENT AGENCY BUDGET AND
CAPABILITIES REVIEW.
(a) GAO Review.--Not later than 270 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States
shall conduct a review to assess the funding and resource needs of the
Coast Guard to fulfill the SRMA responsibilities of the Coast Guard,
including--
(1) an evaluation of the sufficiency of Coast Guard funding
for the sector risk management responsibilities, including
funding for cybersecurity personnel, training, and enforcement,
in light of statutory requirements under section 9002 of the
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 and
additional requirements in Presidential Policy Directive 21;
(2) the ability of Coast Guard personnel to evaluate
compliance with cybersecurity requirements for regulated
entities; and
(3) the sufficiency of guidance provided to industry
stakeholders on implementing and complying with cyber
regulations, assessed against applicable statutory
requirements, Federal regulatory benchmarks, and widely
recognized industry best practices for maritime cybersecurity.
(b) Report.--The Comptroller General shall submit the findings and
recommendations from the review required under subsection (a) to--
(1) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
the Committee on Appropriations, and the Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the
Committee on Appropriations, and the Committee on Homeland
Security of the House of Representatives.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Marine transportation system.--The term ``marine
transportation system'' means navigable waterways, ports,
terminals, intermodal connections, vessels, and related
infrastructure that facilitate the movement of goods and people
by water.
(2) Sector risk management agency; srma.--The term ``Sector
Risk Management Agency'' or ``SRMA'' has the meaning given the
term ``Sector Risk Management Agency'' in section 2200 of the
Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 650).
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