H.R. 7266: Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act
Sponsor
Mariannette Miller-Meeks
Republican · IA-1
Small-town power grids need cyber help
Why it matters
$250 million is on the table for smaller utilities that keep the lights on in rural towns and city-owned systems. H.R. 7266 would keep a federal program running so local power providers can get cyber tools, technical help, and threat-sharing support.
H.R. 7266 would authorize $250 million over five years to help smaller electric utilities defend against cyberattacks that could disrupt service in your community.
The bill keeps a Department of Energy program in place for rural electric cooperatives, municipally owned utilities, certain state-linked public utilities, qualifying nonprofit partnerships, and smaller investor-owned utilities. To qualify as a smaller investor-owned utility, the bill sets a ceiling of less than 4,000,000 megawatt-hours of electricity sold per year.
Utilities could get help in several forms: direct technical assistance, grants, cooperative agreements, and prizes. The program is also supposed to increase participation in cyber threat-sharing programs, so smaller utilities are not trying to spot attacks on their own.
The bill also says information shared through the program would be exempt from federal, state, tribal, and local public-records laws. That could make utilities more willing to share sensitive cyber details, but it also means watchdogs and the public would have less visibility into some program-related information.
The Energy Department would have to prioritize utilities with limited cybersecurity resources, along with utilities tied to bulk-power reliability or defense-critical electric infrastructure. In practice, this aims federal support at power providers that may be the least able to absorb a serious cyber incident on their own.
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Jul 13, 2026
Passed the House, received in Senate
H.R. 7266 Bill Summary
What H.R. 7266 actually does.
Smaller utilities get dedicated cyber support
The Department of Energy would have to maintain a program focused on helping eligible utilities protect against, detect, respond to, and recover from cybersecurity threats.
$250 million is authorized over five years
The bill authorizes $250,000,000 for fiscal years 2027 through 2031, which works out to an average of about $50 million per year if Congress later appropriates the full amount.
Rural, municipal, and smaller private utilities can qualify
Eligible applicants include rural electric cooperatives, municipally owned utilities, certain utilities owned by political subdivisions, nonprofits partnering with at least 6 eligible utilities, and investor-owned utilities selling less than 4,000,000 megawatt-hours per year.
Help can come as grants, technical assistance, or prizes
The Energy Department could support utilities through direct technical assistance, grants, cooperative agreements, and prizes, using either competitive or noncompetitive awards.
Limited-staff utilities move to the front of the line
The bill tells the Energy Department to prioritize utilities with limited cybersecurity resources, as well as utilities tied to bulk-power reliability or defense-critical electric infrastructure.
Shared cyber information gets confidentiality protection
Information shared under the program would be exempt from federal FOIA and from similar state, tribal, and local disclosure laws.
Who benefits from H.R. 7266?
Rural electric cooperatives serving smaller communities
Co-ops that keep power flowing across rural areas could get federal help paying for cyber upgrades they might otherwise struggle to afford.
City-owned and other public utilities
Municipal and other publicly owned utilities could tap the program for tools and expertise while continuing to run essential local infrastructure.
Smaller investor-owned utilities
Private utilities selling under 4,000,000 megawatt-hours a year would also qualify, giving smaller companies access to support that larger utilities may be better positioned to fund themselves.
Utility partnerships covering multiple communities
A nonprofit working with at least 6 eligible utilities could apply, which could help small systems share staff capacity, training, and cybersecurity tools across a wider region.
Who is affected by H.R. 7266?
The Department of Energy
DOE would have to keep the program running, set award criteria, spread the word about funding opportunities, and decide when to use competitive or noncompetitive awards.
Utilities with thin cyber budgets
Utilities with limited cybersecurity resources would be directly affected because the bill says they should receive priority for support.
Utilities tied to grid reliability or defense sites
Utilities that own assets important to bulk-power reliability or defense-critical electric infrastructure would move up in priority for help.
Public-records requesters and watchdog groups
They would have less access to information shared through the program because the bill exempts that information from federal, state, tribal, and local disclosure laws.
Cost & Funding
Authorization
$250,000,000
- Authorized for fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
- That averages about $50,000,000 per year if the full amount is appropriated.
- The bill authorizes technical assistance, grants, cooperative agreements, and prizes.
- The text does not set a per-award cap or a matching-funds requirement.
What Congress Is Saying
H.R. 7266 has come up 7 times in the Congressional Record so far.
H.R. 7266 also appeared in 1 more House floor reference and 1 routine cosponsor filing.
HR7266 Legislative Journey
Committee Action
Jul 13, 2026
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
House: Vote Held
Jun 29, 2026
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4299)
House: Committee Action
Apr 30, 2026
Reported by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 119-629.
House: Vote Held
Feb 4, 2026
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
House: Committee Action
Jan 27, 2026
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy.
About the Sponsor
Mariannette Miller-Meeks
Republican, Iowa's 1st congressional district · 5 years in Congress
Committees: Veterans' Affairs, Energy and Commerce
View full profile →
Cosponsors (2)
This bill has 2 cosponsors: 1 Democrat, 1 Republican, reflecting bipartisan support. Cosponsors represent 2 states: Tennessee, Virginia.
Committee Sponsors
Energy and Natural Resources Committee
0 of 20 committee members cosponsored
No committee members have cosponsored this bill
Energy and Commerce Committee
2 of 54 committee members cosponsored
40 Republicans across these committees haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
What laws does H.R. 7266 change?
1 changes
Sections Amended
Section 40124 of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (42 U.S.C. 18723)
read as follows: ``SEC
H.R. 7266 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Energy and Natural Resources
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Introduced
- Jan 27, 2026
Passed the House, received in Senate
Jul 13, 2026
Official Sources
Official congressional page for the bill with text, actions, sponsors, and status updates.
DOE office most directly connected to federal energy-sector cybersecurity programs and technical assistance mentioned in the bill.
Program-specific DOE page for the exact grant and technical assistance program that H.R. 7266 reauthorizes.
Statutory section cited in the bill text for the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance Program.
The bill prioritizes utilities tied to defense critical electric infrastructure, a term defined in the Federal Power Act.
Official federal statute for the Freedom of Information Act, which the bill explicitly references in its disclosure exemption language.
H.R. 7266 Common Questions
What does H.R. 7266 actually do?
It keeps a Department of Energy program running that helps smaller electric utilities get cybersecurity assistance, grants, cooperative agreements, and prizes.
How much money does H.R. 7266 provide?
The bill authorizes $250 million for fiscal years 2027 through 2031—about $50 million a year if Congress later appropriates the full amount.
Which utilities would qualify for help under H.R. 7266?
Rural electric co-ops, municipally owned utilities, certain other public utilities, nonprofits partnering with at least 6 eligible utilities, and smaller investor-owned utilities.
Can private investor-owned utilities get funding too?
Yes—if they sell less than 4,000,000 megawatt-hours of electricity per year. The bill includes smaller investor-owned utilities, not just public and rural systems.
What kind of cybersecurity support could a utility receive?
Support could include technical assistance, grants, cooperative agreements, and prizes for technology or services that help prevent, detect, respond to, or recover from cyber threats.
Who gets priority for funding?
The bill says DOE should prioritize utilities with limited cybersecurity resources, utilities important to bulk-power reliability, and utilities tied to defense-critical infrastructure.
Would information shared under H.R. 7266 be public?
Usually no. The bill says information shared through the program would be exempt from federal FOIA and similar state, tribal, and local public-records laws.
Based on H.R. 7266 bill text
H.R. 7266 Bill Text
“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.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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