[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 108 (Monday, June 29, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H4299-H4300]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RURAL AND MUNICIPAL UTILITY CYBERSECURITY ACT
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 7266) to amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to
reauthorize the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity
Grant and Technical Assistance Program, and for other purposes, as
amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 7266
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 ``Rural and Municipal Utility
Cybersecurity Act''.
SEC. 2. RURAL AND MUNICIPAL UTILITY ADVANCED CYBERSECURITY
GRANT AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
Section 40124 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
(42 U.S.C. 18723) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 40124. RURAL AND MUNICIPAL UTILITY ADVANCED
CYBERSECURITY GRANT AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM.
``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Advanced cybersecurity technology.--The term
`advanced cybersecurity technology' means any technology,
operational capability, or service, including computer
hardware, software, or a related asset, that enhances the
security posture of electric utilities through improvements
in the ability to protect against, detect, respond to, or
recover from a cybersecurity threat.
``(2) Bulk-power system.--The term `bulk-power system' has
the meaning given the term in section 215(a) of the Federal
Power Act.
``(3) Cybersecurity threat.--The term `cybersecurity
threat' has the meaning given the term in section 2200 of the
Homeland Security Act of 2002.
``(4) Defense critical electric infrastructure.--The term
`defense critical electric infrastructure' has the meaning
given the term in section 215A(a) of the Federal Power Act.
``(5) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
``(A) a rural electric cooperative;
``(B) an electric utility owned by a political subdivision
of a State, such as a municipally owned electric utility;
``(C) an electric utility owned by any agency, authority,
corporation, or instrumentality of 1 or more political
subdivisions of a State;
``(D) a not-for-profit entity that is in a partnership with
not fewer than 6 entities described in subparagraph (A), (B),
or (C); and
``(E) an investor-owned electric utility that sells less
than 4,000,000 megawatt hours of electricity per year.
``(6) Program.--The term `Program' means the Rural and
Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and Technical
Assistance Program established under subsection (b).
``(b) Establishment.--The Secretary shall maintain a
program, to be known as the Rural and Municipal Utility
Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance
Program, to provide technical assistance and award funding,
including grants, cooperative agreements, and prizes, to
eligible entities to protect against, detect, respond to, and
recover from cybersecurity threats.
``(c) Objectives.--The objectives of the Program shall be--
``(1) to deploy advanced cybersecurity technologies for
electric utility systems; and
``(2) to increase the participation of eligible entities in
cybersecurity threat information sharing programs.
``(d) Awards.--
``(1) In general.--In carrying out the Program, the
Secretary--
``(A) shall, subject to the availability of appropriations,
provide technical assistance, and award funding, including
grants, cooperative agreements, and prizes, to eligible
entities on a competitive or noncompetitive basis;
``(B) shall develop criteria for providing such technical
assistance and awarding such funding;
``(C) may enter into agreements that can facilitate the
objectives described in subsection (c) with eligible entities
to provide technical assistance or award funding, including
grants, cooperative agreements, and prizes; and
``(D) shall establish a process to ensure, to the extent
practicable, that all eligible entities are informed about
opportunities to receive technical assistance or funding,
including grants, cooperative agreements, and prizes.
``(2) Priority for funding and technical assistance.--In
providing technical assistance and awarding funding,
including grants, cooperative agreements, and prizes, under
the Program, the Secretary shall give priority to an eligible
entity that, as determined by the Secretary--
``(A) has limited cybersecurity resources;
``(B) owns assets critical to the reliability of the bulk-
power system; or
``(C) owns or operates defense critical electric
infrastructure.
``(e) Protection of Information.--Information shared by or
with the Federal Government or a State, Tribal, or local
government under the Program shall be deemed voluntarily
shared information and exempt from disclosure under section
552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the
Freedom of Information Act), or any provision of any State,
Tribal, or local freedom of information law, open government
law, open meetings law, open records law, sunshine law, or
similar law requiring the disclosure of information or
records.
``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section
$250,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2027 through
2031.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky.
General Leave
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the
legislation and to include extraneous material on H.R. 7266.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Kentucky?
There was no objection.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 7266, the Rural and Municipal Utility
Cybersecurity Act, sponsored by Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks
from Iowa's First Congressional District.
Throughout the 119th Congress, the Energy and Commerce Committee has
held several hearings examining the state of our Nation's energy system
and the persistent threats facing critical infrastructure. We heard
directly from industry experts and administration officials about the
ability of adversarial nations to exploit vulnerabilities in our energy
infrastructure.
We know that rising energy demands and a growing reliance on
intricate networks of energy delivery systems could widen attack
surfaces and opportunities to cause harm and sow chaos in the daily
lives of hardworking Americans.
These threats are uniquely concerning for rural communities and small
utility operators that do not have the same resources as their
investor-owned counterparts. These rural cooperatives and municipal
utilities are economic drivers for small towns and remote areas of our
country to ensure they can participate in the 21st century economy.
H.R. 7266 reauthorizes the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced
Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance Program for 5 years to
equip small utilities with the resources necessary to secure their
systems and keep the lights on for their communities.
Importantly, the RMUC Act streamlines burdensome grant application
practices at the Department of Energy to reduce unnecessary regulatory
bureaucracy. By simplifying the funding process, we can get dollars
from the agency into the hands of cybersecurity professionals in a way
that meets the urgency needed to address our system needs.
In addition, this program will leverage the expertise of the
Department of Energy by providing targeted technical assistance to
cybersecurity operators to enhance threat visibility and implement
security protections.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
H.R. 7266, the Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act,
sponsored by the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. McClellan) and the
gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks), reauthorizes a critical
program from the bipartisan infrastructure law. This initiative is
designed to aid municipal utilities, rural electric cooperatives, and
small investor-owned utilities.
The reason this is important is that the cyber threats to our
Nation's power grid are growing every day, from sophisticated
cyberattacks from nation-state actors to AI-enhanced cyberattacks from
single criminals. The offensive capabilities of people who would attack
our power grid are growing.
[[Page H4300]]
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The only solution is an investment in a robust defense of the grid.
While larger utilities may have more resources to invest in
cybersecurity, the smaller utilities and nonprofit cooperatives and
municipal utilities may not have the resources to spend on
sophisticated cyber defenses.
The rural and municipal utility cybersecurity program steps in to
fill the gap, ensuring that those smaller entities get the assistance
and the guidance they need from the Department of Energy.
In addition to reauthorizing this important initiative, the bill
makes it easier for smaller utilities to access DOE's technical
assistance programs, a tweak that should result in more eligible
utilities gaining access to DOE's knowledge and resources.
Madam Speaker, I thank Representative McClellan for her work as the
co-lead on this bill. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks), who has been a leader in this issue. She
stands before us to protect rural and small-town America, and that is
exactly what her legislation does.
Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Guthrie for
yielding.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 7266, the Rural and
Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act, a bipartisan bill I am proud to
lead with Congresswoman McClellan, to help reauthorize and strengthen a
critical program that helps rural and municipal electric utilities
defend against growing cybersecurity threats to our Nation's energy
grid.
Just this spring, national security experts warned that hostile
nation-states are shifting from isolated cyber incidents to sustained
campaigns against U.S. critical infrastructure, including the energy
sector. Yet, many small and rural utilities lack the capacity and
expertise to act on this information.
RMUC is designed to close that gap. In Iowa's First District, rural
electric cooperatives serve ratepayers across 20 counties and face the
same threats as major urban systems but with fewer resources.
By reauthorizing the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced
Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance Program at DOE and
authorizing $250 million over 5 years to deploy advanced cybersecurity
technologies and support participation in information-sharing programs,
this bill ensures rural electric cooperatives, public power, and other
small utilities have access to advanced cybersecurity tools, technical
assistance, and grant funding to protect, detect, respond to, and
recover from cyber threats.
At a time when cyberattacks on our critical infrastructure are
escalating, small and rural utilities need the resources to defend
against nation-state actors and sophisticated threats. This bill
provides that support.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may
consume to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. McClellan), and I thank
her for her leadership on behalf of rural and smaller municipal
utilities in communities across the country.
Ms. McCLELLAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Rural
and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act, which I am proud to co-lead
with Representative Miller-Meeks of Iowa.
This bill represents the sort of bipartisan work that is important
for the security and stability of the American grid and the safety of
the American people.
This bill reauthorizes the vital RMUC program, which helps rural and
small municipalities to protect themselves against ever-multiplying and
more sophisticated cybersecurity threats that could prove severely
disruptive to small and rural communities alike, just like the ones I
represent in Virginia's Fourth Congressional District.
Far too often, these communities lack the resources and the support
necessary to defend against malign actors targeting important
infrastructure and services, and AI has made it easier for such malign
actors to do so.
For example, rural Prince George County, Virginia, in my district,
just a few weeks ago, fell victim to a cyber incident that impacted the
county's payment services. Fortunately, the attack didn't impact other,
more consequential services, but it serves as an example of why we must
take proactive steps to ensure the security of our grid, especially in
small and rural communities that are especially vulnerable.
Our bill fills those gaps by ensuring that these communities can face
the challenges of our increasingly digital world and, in turn, bolster
cybersecurity defenses for the entire Nation's grid.
Madam Speaker, I am glad to work with my colleague from Iowa to
advance this important bill, and I urge my colleagues to support our
legislation to reauthorize this vital program.
Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the
bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I appreciate my good friends from
Virginia and Iowa working together on this bill. I encourage my
colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 7266, and I yield back the balance
of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 7266, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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