H.R. 4691 would require the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to study cybersecurity challenges that are unique to primary and secondary schools, such as safeguarding student records and securing remote-learning technology. The bill also would require CISA to make available on a public website its recommendations on how schools can mitigate cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities.
On the basis of information from CISA about the costs of similar activities, CBO estimates that staff salaries and other expenses to produce the required study and recommendations would be less than $500,000 over the 2021-2026 period. Such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriations.
For this estimate, CBO assumes that the bill will be enacted in fiscal year 2021. Under that assumption, CISA could incur some costs in 2021, but CBO expects that most of the costs would be incurred in 2022 and later.
On July 21, 2021, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 1917, the K-12 Cybersecurity Act of 2021, as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on July 14, 2021. The two bills are similar, and CBO’s estimates of their costs are the same.
