YourVoice.Now Summary
Transparency & AccountabilityCorporate Benefits$250 million would help small and rural power co-ops fight hackers — and the program's records close to the public.
Transparency & Accountability
Today the government only shields facts that could put the power system at risk. The bill would cover everything shared under the program, so the public could not get it through a federal records request.
Sunshine laws let people see state and city records and sit in on public meetings. Those laws could not be used for anything shared under this program.
Right now the Energy Department must run a contest and use a set formula to pick who gets help. The bill would let it award grants, prizes, or deals with no contest at all.
Corporate Benefits
The money would go to rural co-ops, city-owned utilities, and power companies that sell under 4 million megawatt-hours a year. It renews the same $250 million the 2021 infrastructure law set aside for 2022 through 2026.
More about this bill
If a rural co-op or city-owned utility gives you power, federal money would help it block hackers. The bill keeps an Energy Department grant program going, with $250 million for 2027 through 2031. Co-ops, city utilities, and small for-profit power companies could seek grants, hands-on help, or prize money. Utilities with the least cyber staff or the most vital gear would go first. The agency could also hand out awards without a contest, which today's law bars. Electric co-ops alone serve about 42 million people today. The bill would also close the program's records to the public. Anything shared under it would be off limits to federal records requests. State, tribal, and local open-records and open-meetings laws could not reach it either. Today the shield covers only facts that could put the grid at risk.
Congressional Summary
Congress's official summary of this bill still describes an earlier version of the text, so we have left it out here. You can read it on Congress.gov.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Reported to House
- Action Date
- 2026-04-30
- Date Added
- 2026-06-26
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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