Cybersecurity for Rural Water Systems Act

Key Points

• This bill creates a new program to help small, rural water and sewer systems protect themselves from hackers. It uses a circuit rider model, where experts travel to different locations to provide hands-on help to local utilities.
• The program would offer quick check-ups to see how vulnerable a water system is to cyber threats. Experts would then help local operators create better security rules and fix any weak spots in their computer systems to keep the water supply safe.
• Small towns often lack the money or staff to handle complex digital security on their own. This bill aims to protect public health by making sure the technology that manages drinking water and waste is safe from digital interference.
• If passed, the government would spend 10 million dollars every year through 2029 to pay for these traveling cybersecurity experts. These experts must have special certifications to ensure they know how to handle water system security.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.