119th Congress (2025-2026)

HR 7266

Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act

In Second Chamber

Jurisdiction

US Congress

Session

119th Congress (2025-2026)

Official source

Chamber

House

Session

119th Congress (2025-2026)

Jurisdiction

US Congress

Bill overview

This bill, the Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act, reauthorizes a program run by the Department of Energy to provide cybersecurity assistance and funding to rural electric cooperatives and smaller electric utilities. It allows for both competitive and non-competitive funding approaches and prioritizes entities with limited cybersecurity resources, those owning assets critical to the bulk-power system, or those operating defense critical electric infrastructure. The bill also expands protections against the disclosure of information shared under the program, shielding it from Freedom of Information Act requests and similar state/local disclosure laws.

Key provisions

Reauthorizes the Rural and Municipal Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance Program through 2030.
Allows for both competitive and non-competitive funding methods.
Prioritizes funding for entities with limited cybersecurity resources, critical bulk-power system assets, or defense critical electric infrastructure.
Defines ‘advanced cybersecurity technology’ for the purposes of the program.
Expands information sharing protections, exempting program-related data from disclosure laws.
Establishes a process to inform eligible entities about funding and technical assistance opportunities.
Authorizes $250,000,000 in appropriations for the program over five years (2026-2030).

Who is affected

Rural electric cooperatives
Municipal electric utilities
Investor-owned electric utilities (with less than 4,000,000 MWh sales)

Positions across the country

No public positions recorded for this legislation.

Arguments in favor

Reasons to support this legislation.

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Arguments opposed

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Legislative history

2026-01-27House

Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy.

2026-01-27House

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

2026-01-27

Introduced in House

2026-01-27

Introduced in House

Passage without roll call

The official record shows passage by unanimous consent or voice vote where no roll call was taken. No member-level tally is available for these steps, and the district map does not apply.

6/29/2026HouseVoice vote
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4299)
No roll-call vote on record for this action.
6/29/2026Voice vote
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4299)
No roll-call vote on record for this action.

Floor votes and chamber actions

Recorded roll calls list how each member voted. Unanimous consent or voice vote appears in the official action history without a roll call; no member-level tally is available for those steps.

Passage without roll call

6/29/2026HouseVoice vote
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4299)
No roll-call vote on record for this action.
6/29/2026Voice vote
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4299)
No roll-call vote on record for this action.

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Jan 27, 2026XMLView source

119th CONGRESS — 2d Session

H. R. 7266

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

A BILL

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.

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

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 threatThe term cybersecurity threat has the meaning given the term in section 2200 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

(4)Defense critical electric infrastructureThe 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 generalIn 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 assistanceIn 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 informationInformation 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.

HR 7266

Bill overview

Key provisions

Who is affected

Sponsors

Primary sponsor

Cosponsors

Positions across the country

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Passage without roll call

Floor votes and chamber actions

Passage without roll call

Bill text

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Passage without roll call

Floor votes and chamber actions

Passage without roll call