Small Business Cybersecurity Assistance Evaluation Act of 2026 — House Report 119-679 (June 3, 2026)
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Summary
House Report 119–679 of the 119th Congress, 2d Session, submitted June 3, 2026 by Mr. Williams of Texas from the Committee on Small Business to accompany H.R. 8880, the Small Business Cybersecurity Assistance Evaluation Act of 2026. The committee reports the bill favorably without amendment; it states the bill directs the Government Accountability Office to study federal cybersecurity assistance available to small businesses and report to the House and Senate small business committees. The report says the committee ordered the bill reported on May 20, 2026 by a roll call vote of 23 ayes to 0 nos, and a section-by-section analysis states no additional amounts are authorized. It closes with minority views signed by Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázquez on federal and SBDC cybersecurity resources for small businesses.
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“Small Business Cybersecurity Assistance Evaluation Act of 2026 — House Report 119-679 (June 3, 2026).”
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119TH CONGRESS REPORT
" HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES !
2d Session 119–679
SMALL BUSINESS CYBERSECURITY ASSISTANCE
EVALUATION ACT OF 2026
JUNE 3, 2026.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of
the Union and ordered to be printed
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas, from the Committee on Small Business,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
together with
MINORITY VIEWS
[To accompany H.R. 8880]
The Committee on Small Business, to whom was referred the bill
(H.R. 8880) to require the Comptroller General to evaluate Federal
cybersecurity assistance to small business concerns, and for other
purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon
without amendment and recommends that the bill do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
I. Purpose and Bill Summary ........................................................................ 2
II. Need for Legislation .................................................................................... 2
III. Hearings ....................................................................................................... 2
IV. Committee Consideration ........................................................................... 2
V. Committee Votes ......................................................................................... 2
VI. Section-by-Section of H.R. 8880 ................................................................. 4
VII. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate ............................................. 4
VIII. New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures 4
IX. Oversight Findings & Recommendations .................................................. 5
X. Performance Goals and Objectives ............................................................ 5
XI. Statement of Duplication of Federal Programs ........................................ 5
XII. Congressional Earmarks, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff
Benefits ..................................................................................................... 5
XIII. Federal Mandates Statement ..................................................................... 5
XIV. Federal Advisory Committee Statement ................................................... 5
XV. Applicability to Legislative Branch ........................................................... 5
XVI. Statement of Constitutional Authority ...................................................... 5
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XVII. Minority Views ............................................................................................ 6
69–006
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I. PURPOSE AND BILL SUMMARY
On May 19, 2026, Rep. Lateefah Simon (D–CA) and Rep. Robert
Bresnahan (R–PA), introduced H.R. 8880, the Small Business Cy-
bersecurity Assistance Evaluation Act of 2026. This bill directs the
Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study evalu-
ating cybersecurity risks to small businesses, as well as existing
federal cybersecurity programs and resources available to them.
II. NEED FOR LEGISLATION
The Small Business Cybersecurity Assistance Evaluation Act of
2026 requires the GAO to conduct a study on existing federal gov-
ernment cybersecurity assistance available to small businesses, in-
cluding programs, tools, resources, and services intended to help
small business owners identify and respond to cyber threats. It also
requires GAO to identify cyber risks, assess preparedness for these
threats, and develop plans to mitigate and recover from
cyberattacks on small businesses.
Small businesses are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals,
ransomware attacks, scams, and fraud schemes, yet many lack the
financial resources, personnel, or technical expertise necessary to
defend against evolving cybersecurity threats. While multiple fed-
eral agencies offer cybersecurity assistance, these efforts are often
hard to navigate or are underutilized.
By identifying weaknesses and room for improvement in current
federal cybersecurity assistance resources, this legislation will en-
sure small businesses have better access to tools and training to
protect themselves from cyberattacks.
III. HEARINGS
The Committee on Small Business held the following hearings
examining matters related to H.R. 8880:
• On February 5, 2025, the Committee held a hearing titled
‘‘Hope on the Horizon: Prioritizing Small Business Growth in
the 119th Congress.’’
• On December 2, 2025, the Committee held a hearing titled
‘‘Main Street Under Attack: The Cost of Crime on Small Busi-
nesses’’
IV. COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION
The Committee on Small Business met in open session, with a
quorum being present, on May 20, 2026, and ordered H.R. 8880 to
be reported favorably to the House of Representatives by a roll call
vote of 23 ayes to 0 nos.
V. COMMITTEE VOTES
Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representa-
tives requires the Committee to list the recorded votes on the mo-
tion to report legislation and amendments thereto. The Committee
voted to favorably report H.R. 8880 to the House of Representatives
at 4:13 PM.
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VI. SECTION-BY-SECTION OF H.R. 8880
Section 1—Short title
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Small Business Cybersecurity As-
sistance Evaluation Act of 2026.’’
Section 2—GAO Study on Small Business Cybersecurity Assistance
This section requires GAO to conduct a study of existing federal
cybersecurity initiatives, programs, resources, tools, and services
intended to assist small business concerns.
The study examines federal efforts to help small businesses iden-
tify cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities, assess preparedness,
plan for and recover from cyberattacks and fraud, and access cap-
ital needed to implement cybersecurity measures and infrastruc-
ture.
This section requires GAO to evaluate the awareness, use, co-
ordination, and effectiveness of existing federal cybersecurity as-
sistance available to small businesses. The study must also identify
any gaps in foundational cybersecurity concepts within current fed-
eral programs and provide recommendations to improve the effec-
tiveness, awareness, and coordination of such initiatives.
This section requires GAO to submit a report containing its find-
ings and recommendations to the House Committee on Small Busi-
ness and the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepre-
neurship.
Section 3—Compliance with CUTGO
This section states that no additional amounts are authorized to
carry out this Act.
VII. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE
Pursuant to 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Rep-
resentatives, the Committee adopts as its own the cost estimate
prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office pursu-
ant to section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. At the
time this report was filed, the Committee has requested but not re-
ceived a cost estimate from the Director of the Congressional Budg-
et Office.
VIII. NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY, ENTITLEMENT AUTHORITY, AND TAX
EXPENDITURES
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House
of Representatives and section 308(a)(I) of the Congressional Budg-
et Act of 1974, the Committee provides the following opinion and
estimate with respect to new budget authority, entitlement author-
ity, and tax expenditures. While the Committee has not received an
estimate of new budget authority contained in the cost estimate
prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office pursu-
ant to section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the
Committee does not believe that there will be any new or increased
costs attributable to this legislation.
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IX. OVERSIGHT FINDINGS & RECOMMENDATIONS
In accordance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause 2(b)(1)
of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the over-
sight findings and recommendations of the Committee on Small
Business with respect to the subject matter contained in H.R. 8880
are incorporated into the descriptive portions of this report.
X. PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of
the Rules of the House of Representatives, the goal of H.R. 8880
is to strengthen cybersecurity support and preparedness for small
businesses.
XI. STATEMENT OF DUPLICATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House
of Representatives, no provision of H.R. 8880 is known to be dupli-
cative of another Federal program, including any program that was
included in a report to Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public
Law 111–139 or the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic As-
sistance.
XII. CONGRESSIONAL EARMARKS, LIMITED TAX BENEFITS, AND LIMITED
TARIFF BENEFITS
With respect to clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the House
of Representatives, the Committee finds that the bill does not con-
tain any congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited
tariff benefits as defined in clause 9(e), 9(f), or 9(g) of rule XXI of
the Rules of the House of Representatives.
XIII. FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT
The Committee will adopt as its own the estimate of the Federal
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Of-
fice pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
XIV. FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT
No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act were created by this legislation.
XV. APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to the
terms and conditions of employment or access to public services or
accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of the Con-
gressional Accountability Act.
XVI. STATEMENT OF CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY
Pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII of the Rules of the House, the
Committee finds that the authority for this legislation in Art. I, § 8,
cl.1 of the Constitution of the United States.
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XVII. MINORITY VIEWS
Digital tools and the Internet are critical for small businesses.
During the COVID–19 pandemic, firms of all sizes increasingly
adopted technology as work shifted to virtual environments. Today,
according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Chamber), 99 percent
of small businesses use at least one technology platform, with 58
percent using at least four platforms.1 However, only 25 percent of
small businesses use cybersecurity and malware detection tools.2
This lack of investment often occurs because unlike larger corpora-
tions, entrepreneurs and their staff lack the time, skills, and
money to adopt effective cybersecurity measures. Cybercriminals
are well aware of these vulnerabilities and exploit them at small
businesses’ expense.
Multiple federal entities have developed and provided cybersecu-
rity resources for small businesses. However, the Committee has
heard feedback that awareness of these resources varies, partly be-
cause they are not provided by the U.S. Small Business Adminis-
tration (SBA). While agencies certainly have the expertise to create
cybersecurity resources, it can be difficult for them to have an im-
pact on small businesses simply because those agencies lack a dis-
tribution network and experience to perform effective small busi-
ness outreach. The SBA, in consultation with other relevant federal
entities, is uniquely equipped to help small businesses on technical
matters.
In 2015, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) con-
ducted a study examining cybersecurity resources for small busi-
nesses in the defense industrial base, and the Defense Depart-
ment’s Office of Small Business Programs implemented its rec-
ommendation to ‘‘identify and disseminate cybersecurity resources
to defense small businesses.’’ 3
In 2016, then-Representative Richard Hanna (R–NY), a Com-
mittee Member, introduced the bipartisan Improving Small Busi-
ness Cyber Security Act of 2016,4 components of which were incor-
porated into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for
Fiscal Year (FY) 2017. The FY 2017 NDAA directed the SBA and
Homeland Security Department (DHS) to develop a Small Business
Development Center (SBDC) Cyber Strategy, and for SBDCs to
provide cybersecurity counseling to small businesses.5
Under my leadership, the Committee approved the Small Busi-
ness Cyber Training Act of 2022, which was enacted into law on
1 U.S. CHAMBER OF COM., EMPOWERING SMALL BUSINESS: THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON
U.S. SMALL BUSINESS, 4–6 (Aug. 18, 2025).
2 Id., at 5.
3 U.S. GOV’T ACCOUNTABILITY OFF., GAO–15–777, Defense Cybersecurity: Opportunities Exist
for DOD to Share Cybersecurity Resources with Small Businesses (Sept. 24, 2015).
4 Improving Small Business Cyber Security Act of 2016, H.R. 5064, 114th Cong. (2016); 162
Cong. Rec. H5776–H5779 (daily ed. Sep. 21, 2016).
5 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, Pub. L. No. 114–328, 130 Stat.
2000 (2016).
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(6)
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7
December 27, 2022. The Act requires the SBA to establish a pro-
gram to certify at least 5 or 10 percent of employees in each lead
SBDC to provide cybersecurity assistance to small businesses.6
The SBDCs are currently implementing the SBDC Cyber Strat-
egy and beginning to provide cybersecurity counseling to small
businesses.7 The Delaware SBDC launched the North Star program
to certify SBDC staff nationwide to provide this counseling. Its of-
ferings include both in-person and virtual training, and certifi-
cations must be renewed annually, to ensure staff are updated on
new developments in cybersecurity. Since Fiscal Year 2024, North
Star has certified 291 employees.8
NYDIA M. VELÁZQUEZ,
Ranking Member.
Æ
6 Small Business Cyber Training Act of 2022, Pub. L. No. 117–319, 136 Stat. 4424 (codified
at 15 U.S.C. 648 (2022)).
7 CONG. RESEARCH SERV., IF12732, THE CYBERSECURITY FOR SMALL BUSINESS PILOT PROGRAM
1 (Aug. 7, 2024).
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8 DEL. SMALL BUS. DEV. CTR., CYBER AWARD Q3 NARRATIVE REPORT: APRIL 2025 THROUGH
JUNE 2025 (2025) (on file with the H. COMM. ON SMALL BUS.).
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