Review – S 3251 Introduced - State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program

Back in November Sen Hassan (D,NH) introduced S 3251, the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program Reauthorization Act. The bill would amend 6 USC 665g, State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, to extend the program through September 30^th, 2026 and authorize spending $300 million in FY 2026 for the program.

The recently passed CR, HR 5371, already extended the termination of that program to January 30^th, 2026, with the expectation that it would be further extended with whatever further spending bill is eventually passed in January. Earlier in November the House passed HR 5078, the PILLAR Act, that would extend the program through 2035.

Moving Forward

Hassan is a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to which this bill was assigned for consideration. This means that there may be sufficient influence to see the bill considered in Committee. Maintaining the current spending limit, I see nothing in this bill that would engender organized opposition. I suspect that there would be substantial bipartisan support in the Committee for this bill.

There is, however, a major problem with moving this bill forward. Sen Paul (R,KY) is the Chair of the Homeland Security Committee. He has little use for grant programs in general, and CISA grant programs in particular. His opposition effectively kills any chance that the bill would be considered in Committee. And the same would hold true for HR 5078. Further, that opposition would stop any consideration of either bill on the floor of the Senate.

 

For more information on the provisions of this bill, including an expanded ‘Moving Forward’ section, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/s-3251-introduced-state-and-local - subscription required.

HR 5078 Passed in House – PILLAR Act

Today the House took up HR 5078, the Protecting Information by Local Leaders for Agency Resilience (PILLAR) Act, under the suspension of the rules process. After just 13 minutes of debate, the House passed the bill by a voice vote.

The bill would reauthorize CISA’s State and local cybersecurity grant program through 2035 (that program expired on September 30^th, 2025, but was subsequently reinstated through January 30^th, 2026 by HR 5371, the FY 2026 CR), including updating 6 USC 665g. Changes include clarifying that the grant program could be used to support operational technology, as well as information systems. There is no specific funding provided in this reauthorization, instead the funding would be “subject to the availability of appropriations”.

The Senate is unlikely to take up this bill under regular order; it is not politically important enough to be worth the legislative time that it would take to pass that bill. There is a possibility that the bill could be considered under the Senate’s unanimous consent process, but objections filed under that process frequently have nothing to do with the merits of the bill. The only other route to the President's desk would be through inclusion in another, must pass bill.

Review – Committee Hearings – Week of 11-16-25

With both the House and Senate in session this week (the first time that both were in Washington at the same time since the last week in September), there is a moderately busy hearing schedule. The Senate continues to concentrate on nominations (see the Washington Post nomination tracking page), while the House catches up on a host of talking point hearings. There is an aggressive list of bills to be considered on the floor of the House, both under suspension and under rules.

On the Floor

Today the House will begin consideration of eight bills under the suspension of the rules process with another nine scheduled for tomorrow. Bills of potential interest here include:

HR 2659 – Strengthening Cyber Resilience Against State-Sponsored Threats Act,

HR 5078 – PILLAR Act, as amended, and

HR 5062 – Pipeline Security Act

 

For more information on these hearings, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/committee-hearings-week-of-11-16 - subscription required.

Review - HR 5078 Introduced – PILLAR Act

Last month Rep Ogles (R,TN) introduced HR 5078, the Protecting Information by Local Leaders for Agency Resilience (PILLAR) Act. The bill would reauthorize CISA’s State and local cybersecurity grant program through 2035 (the program terminated on September 30^th, 2025), including updating 6 USC 665g. Changes include clarifying that the grant program could be used to support operational technology, as well as information systems. There is no specific funding provided in this reauthorization, instead the funding would be “subject to the availability of appropriations”.

Markup Hearing

On September 9^th, 2025, the House Homeland Security Committee held a business meeting that considered seven bills, including HR 5078. The bill was ordered reported favorably by a strongly bipartisan vote of 21 to 1. The Committee Report has not yet been published.

Moving Forward

The bipartisan support in Committee almost guarantees that the bill will be considered in the full House under the suspension of the rules process. While this process restricts debate, prohibits floor amendments, and requires a supermajority for passage, it also increases the chance that the bill will be considered; more bills are considered under the suspension process than are considered under regular order.

 

For more information about the provisions of this bill, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/hr-5078-introduced-pillar-act - subscription required.

Review - Bills Introduced – 9-2-25

Yesterday, with both the House and Senate back in Washington well rested and newly funded by their month ‘working in their districts’, there were 39 bills introduced. Two of those bills may receive additional coverage in this blog”

HR 5078 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to reauthorize the State and local cybersecurity grant program of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes. Ogles, Andrew [Rep.-R-TN-5]

HR 5086 To require the Secretary of Defense to establish and carry out a program to enable the rapid development, testing, and scalable manufacture of small unmanned aircraft systems, and for other purposes. Harrigan, Pat [Rep.-R-NC-10]

 

For more information on these bills, including legislative history for similar bills in the 118^th, as well as a brief mention in passing of two bills about renaming the DOD to the Department of War, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/bills-introduced-9-2-25 - subscription required.