YourVoice.Now Summary
Criminal Justice & Due ProcessHacking the nation's most vital systems would bring at least 30 years in prison — foreign hackers face sanctions too.
Criminal Justice & Due Process
Any federal computer crime that involves the nation's most vital systems would carry 30 years to life. Today most of these crimes carry no more than 1 to 20 years.
The President would have to freeze U.S. property of foreign people who break into these systems to harm the country or its people. They would also lose any visa and be barred from entry.
More about this bill
Anyone convicted of a federal computer crime that involves critical infrastructure would face at least 30 years in prison. The judge could give up to life. Critical infrastructure means systems so vital that losing them would badly hurt the nation's safety, health, or economy. The 30-year minimum would cover every crime in the federal hacking law, even ones that now carry at most one year. The President would also have to punish foreign people or groups who knowingly break into these systems. The goal must be to harm U.S. security or the safety of Americans. Trying to break in counts too. Their property in the United States would be frozen. People named would be barred from entering the country. Any visa they already hold would be canceled right away. Someone counts as acting knowingly if they knew or should have known what they were doing. The President could pause these penalties for up to 180 days at a time for national security reasons. Congress must get 15 days' notice first.
Congressional Summary
Protecting Critical Infrastructure Act This bill increases federal criminal penalties for computer fraud and abuse offenses that involve critical infrastructure. The term critical infrastructure means systems and assets, physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health and safety, or any combination of those matters. Specifically, the bill imposes a fine, a mandatory minimum prison term of 30 years, or both for a computer fraud or abuse offense that involves critical infrastructure. Additionally, the bill directs the President to impose asset- and visa-blocking sanctions on foreign individuals and entities that access or attempt to access critical infrastructure.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-05-08
- Date Added
- 2026-10-02
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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