Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act in plain language
1: Short title
This section gives the Act its short title, the "Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act."
Show official text
1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act .
2: Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance Program
This section replaces Section 40124 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (42 U.S.C. 18723) with a new version of the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance Program. It defines the terms used in the program. "Advanced cybersecurity technology" means any technology, operational capability, or service, including computer hardware, software, or a related asset, that improves an electric utility's ability to protect against, detect, respond to, or recover from a cybersecurity threat. "Bulk-power system" takes the meaning given in section 215(a) of the Federal Power Act. "Cybersecurity threat" takes the meaning given in section 2200 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. "Defense critical electric infrastructure" takes the meaning given in section 215A(a) of the Federal Power Act. "Eligible entity" means a rural electric cooperative; an electric utility owned by a political subdivision of a state, such as a municipally owned electric utility; an electric utility owned by any agency, authority, corporation, or instrumentality of one or more political subdivisions of a state; a not-for-profit entity partnered with at least 6 entities of those three types; or an investor-owned electric utility that sells less than 4,000,000 megawatt hours of electricity per year. The section requires the Secretary to maintain the Program to provide technical assistance and award funding, including grants, cooperative agreements, and prizes, to eligible entities so they can protect against, detect, respond to, and recover from cybersecurity threats. The Program's objectives are to deploy advanced cybersecurity technologies for electric utility systems and to increase eligible entities' participation in cybersecurity threat information sharing programs. In carrying out the Program, the Secretary must, subject to the availability of appropriations, provide technical assistance and award funding to eligible entities on a competitive or noncompetitive basis; must develop criteria for providing that assistance and awarding that funding; may enter into agreements with eligible entities to facilitate the Program's objectives; and must establish a process to ensure, to the extent practicable, that all eligible entities are informed about opportunities to receive assistance or funding. When providing technical assistance and awarding funding, the Secretary must give priority to an eligible entity that the Secretary determines has limited cybersecurity resources, owns assets critical to the reliability of the bulk-power system, or owns or operates defense critical electric infrastructure. Information shared by or with the federal government, or by or with a state, tribal, or local government, under the Program is treated as voluntarily shared information and is exempt from disclosure under the federal Freedom of Information Act and under any state, tribal, or local freedom of information law, open government law, open meetings law, open records law, sunshine law, or similar law that would otherwise require disclosure. The section authorizes $250,000,000 to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the Program for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
Show official text
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: 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 2026 through 2030. .