S. 1018

119 S1018 IS: Cybersecurity for Rural Water Systems Act
 U.S. Senate
 2025-03-13
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 II  119th CONGRESS  1st Session  S. 1018  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES   March 13, 2025   Ms. Cortez Masto  (for herself and  Mr. Rounds ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the  Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry    A BILL
To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to establish a cybersecurity circuit rider program to provide cybersecurity-related technical assistance to certain entities that operate rural water or wastewater systems.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Cybersecurity for Rural Water Systems Act  .
2.
Rural water and wastewater cybersecurity circuit rider program
Section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act ( 7 U.S.C. 1926(a) ) is amended by inserting after paragraph (22) the following:
(23)
Rural water and wastewater cybersecurity circuit rider program
(A)
In general
The Secretary shall establish a cybersecurity circuit rider program, which shall be structured similarly to the circuit rider program under paragraph (22), to provide technical assistance to associations described in paragraph (1) that operate rural water or wastewater systems—
(i)
to provide rapid assessments of the current ability or inability of those associations—
(I)
to respond to cybersecurity threats; and
(II)
to protect the cyberinfrastructure of those associations and public health;
(ii)
to develop reasonable protocols to enhance cybersecurity protection;
(iii)
to provide assistance to address inadequate cyber protection plans; and
(iv)
to document the state of cyber protection with respect to the water supplies of those associations.
(B)
Report requirement
A circuit rider that receives funding under this paragraph shall submit to the Secretary a report documenting—
(i)
the associations served by the circuit rider under this paragraph; and
(ii)
the activities performed by the circuit rider under this paragraph.
(C)
Requirements for circuit riders
To provide technical assistance under subparagraph (A), a circuit rider shall possess the necessary experience and certification to effectively carry out the activities described in that subparagraph, as determined by the Secretary.
(D)
Authorization of appropriations
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this paragraph $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.
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