Review - S 1007 Introduced – 9-8-8 Lifeline Cybersecurity

Last month Sen Mullin (R,OK) introduced S 1007, the 9–8–8 Lifeline Cybersecurity Responsibility Act. This bill would establish broadly written cybersecurity requirements for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Program. No new funding is provided in the legislation. Mullin’s office has a press release about this legislation.

This bill is very similar to S 1493, the 9–8–8 Lifeline Cybersecurity Responsibility Act, that was introduced by Sen Sinema (I,AZ) in May 2023, Mullin was a cosponsor of that bill. No action was taken on S 1493 in the 118^th Congress. It is also similar to HR 912 that was introduced this session in the House by Rep Obernolte (R,CA) in February.

Moving Forward

Mullins is a Subcommittee Chair in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee to which this bill was assigned for consideration. This means that there may be sufficient influence to see the bill considered in Committee. I see nothing in the legislation that would engender any organized opposition to the bill. I suspect that the bill would receive significant bipartisan support {with an obvious no vote from Sen Paul (R,KY), who rarely supports any legislation}. The big problem moving this bill forward is that it is not politically important enough to bring to the floor of the Senate under regular order. This leaves the unanimous consent process or including the language in a spending or authorization bill.

For more information on the provisions of this bill, including a brief look at some press coverage of the bill, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/s-1007-introduced - subscription required.

Review - HR 912 Introduced – 988-Line Cybersecurity

Last month, Rep Obernolte (R,CA) introduced HR 912, the 9–8–8 Lifeline Cybersecurity Responsibility Act. This bill would establish broadly written cybersecurity requirements for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Program. No new funding is provided in the legislation.

This bill is very similar to HR 498 that was introduced by Obernolte in January of 2023. The bill was considered by the full House under the suspension of the rules process on March 5^th, 2024 and passed by a voice vote. No action was taken on the measure in the Senate. A similar bill, S 1493, was introduced in the Senate by Sen Senima (I,AZ), but no action was taken.

Moving Forward

Obernolte and his sole cosponsor, Rep Dingle (D,MI), are members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee to  which this bill is assigned for consideration. This means that there should be sufficient influence to see the bill considered in Committee. There has been increased concern in Congress about the increasing number of cybersecurity reporting requirements to which organizations are becoming subject. It is not clear at this point whether that concern would have an impact on this bill. That is because the bill makes clear that these requirements are being imposed because the program’s network administrator are receiving Federal funding, so it becomes an accountability issue rather than just a cybersecurity reporting issue.

Commentary

When HR 498 was introduced in 2023, I commented that:

“This is not a bill that I will be following here, it is a government system IT security bill with no specific impact on control system security. Having said that, if Congress has to go through the process of introducing legislation for each relatively minor federal program to ensure that each program has adequate cybersecurity provisions in place, we are going to see an exhaustive number of this type of legislation.”

In many ways that comment still holds true, but the point that the crafters of this bill makes about federal funding being a legitimate basis for federal oversight is too important to overlook. This is especially true when federal spending on independent programs is being so thoroughly being called into question by the Trump Administration. Not only does the federal government have a right to conduct oversight when they are paying substantial portions of the bills, but they also have an obligation to ensure that those monies are spent wisely.

 

For more information about the provisions of this bill, including an expanded commentary, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/hr-912-introduced - subscription required.

Review – Bills Introduced – 2-4-25

Yesterday, with both the House and Senate in session, there were 119 bills introduced. Five of those bills may receive additional attention in this blog:

HR 912 To amend title V of the Public Health Service Act to secure the suicide prevention lifeline from cybersecurity incidents, and for other purposes. Obernolte, Jay [Rep.-R-CA-23]

HR 915 To authorize small business loans to finance access to modern business software, and for other purposes. Alford, Mark [Rep.-R-MO-4]

HR 928 To enhance safety requirements for trains transporting hazardous materials, and for other purposes. Deluzio, Christopher R. [Rep.-D-PA-17]

HR 971 To enhance safety requirements for trains transporting hazardous materials, and for other purposes. Sykes, Emilia Strong [Rep.-D-OH-13]

HJ Res 34 Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Trichloroethylene (TCE); Regulation Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)". Harshbarger, Diana [Rep.-R-TN-1]

 

For more information on these proposed bills, and one bill I mention in passing, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/bills-introduced-2-4-25 - subscription required.