Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
H.R. 3278, the Protecting Critical Infrastructure Act, significantly strengthens federal penalties for cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure like power grids, water systems, and transportation networks. The bill increases criminal penalties from current levels to a mandatory minimum of 30 years imprisonment or life for computer fraud offenses involving critical infrastructure. Additionally, the legislation authorizes the President to impose severe sanctions on foreign individuals and entities that knowingly access U.S. critical infrastructure to harm national security or American citizens, including freezing their U.S. assets, banning them from entering the country, and revoking any existing visas. The President must establish implementing regulations within 90 days of enactment and can waive sanctions on a case-by-case basis for up to 180 days if necessary for national security, with congressional notification required at least 15 days in advance. This bill affects cybercriminals, foreign adversaries targeting U.S. infrastructure, and agencies responsible for national security enforcement.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.