Summary

Requires the Secretary to develop and submit a plan, within one year, to grow the cybersecurity workforce serving rural hospitals; make basic cybersecurity training materials available to rural hospital staff within one year; run an awareness campaign to promote those materials; and brief Congress annually on progress and outcomes. The law also states explicitly that no additional appropriations are provided to carry out these requirements, so implementation must use existing funds and resources.

Key Points

• Requires the Secretary to create and submit a plan to grow the cybersecurity workforce for rural hospitals within one year.
• Plan must include training curriculum, partnership strategies, gap identification, and legislative or regulatory recommendations.
• The Secretary must provide basic cybersecurity instructional materials to rural hospital staff within one year and run an awareness campaign.
• The Secretary must brief appropriate congressional committees annually with data, updates, and effectiveness assessments.
• The law explicitly prohibits any additional appropriations for its implementation — actions must use existing resources.
• Definitions rely on existing federal authorities (Title 5, Census Bureau designations) to define scope and covered entities.
• Focus is on low-cost, informational, and coordinating activities rather than creating new funded programs.
• Practical impact depends heavily on the agency’s ability to reallocate existing staff and funds to meet deadlines.

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