Review - S 4660 Introduced – FY 2023 EWR Spending

Last month, Sen Feinstein (D,CA) introduced S 4660, the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2023. The Senate Appropriations Committee also published their Report on the bill. As with the House version of this bill (HR 8255), there is only one mention of cybersecurity in the bill itself, but numerous cybersecurity related discussions in the Report.

CESER Spending

On page 26, the bill provides funding for CESER funding for “expenses including the purchase, construction, and acquisition of plant and capital equipment, and other expenses necessary for energy sector cybersecurity, energy security, and emergency response activities”. The bill would provide $202 million for FY 2023 which about $3 million less than the funds allocated in the House bill.

More details on CESER programs are provided in the Committee Report on pages 125-7. This includes funding ($20 million) for the Cyber Testing for Resilient Industrial Control System (CyTRICS) program. The Report also directs DOE “to continue supporting consequence-driven cyber-informed engineering activities at a level consistent with prior years” (pg 126).

Moving Forward

HR 8255 was rolled into the HR 8294 minibus that was passed by the House last month. That means that if the Senate takes up HR 8244 before the end of the fiscal year (possible but not real likely, based upon recent history) this bill will be incorporated in the substitute language upon which the Senate will actually base their debate/amendment process. If the bill is considered, it would not receive much more support than necessary to overcome the cloture process in the Senate, and that level of support would be problematic.

 

For more details about the programs and spending discussed in the Report, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/s-4660-introduced - subscription required.

Bills Introduced – 7-28-22

Yesterday, with both the House and Senate in Washington and looking toward the beach, there were 92 bills introduced. Fourteen of those bills may see additional coverage in this blog:

HR 8578 To amend the Federal Power Act and the Natural Gas Act with respect to the enforcement of certain provisions, and for other purposes.  Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]

S 4659 A bill making appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, and for other purposes. Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]

S 4660 A bill making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, and for other purposes. Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]

S 4661 A bill making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, and for other purposes. Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] 

S 4662 A bill making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, and for other purposes. Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] 

S 4663 A bill making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, and for other purposes. Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]

S 4664 A bill making appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, and for other purposes. Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]

S 4670 A bill making appropriations for the Departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, and for other purposes. Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI]

S 4673 A bill to reauthorize the National Computer Forensics Institute of the United States Secret Service, and for other purposes. Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]

S 4678 A bill making appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, and for other purposes. Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT] 

S 4679 A bill to amend the Federal Power Act and the Natural Gas Act with respect to the enforcement of certain provisions, and for other purposes. Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] 

S 4685 A bill making appropriations for financial services and general government for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, and for other purposes.  Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]

S 4686 A bill making appropriations for the Department of the Interior, environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, and for other purposes. Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]

S 4687 A bill to enhance the authority granted to the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice with respect to unmanned aircraft systems and unmanned aircraft, and for other purposes. Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI]

I will probably not be covering S 4662 and S 4685; these two spending bills seldom have anything of specific interest here. I do expect to be covering the remainder of the spending bills.

I will be watching HR 8578 and S 4679 for language and definitions that specifically include cybersecurity in the covered enforcement processes.

I will be watching S 4673 for differences between it and the recently passed House version; HR 7174.

I will be covering S 4687.