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NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Act

Public Law 115-236 · S. 770 · 115th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Aug 14, 2018 · Science, Technology, Communications

Sponsor: Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI)

Cosponsors (9): Sen. James Risch,

Passage votes

  • HouseUnanimous consent
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Act

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to require the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to consider small businesses when it facilitates and supports the development of voluntary, consensus-based, industry-led guidelines and procedures to cost-effectively reduce cyber risks to critical infrastructure.

NIST must disseminate, and publish on its website, standard and method resources that small business may use voluntarily to help identify, assess, manage, and reduce their cybersecurity risks. The resources must be: (1) technology-neutral, (2) based on international standards to the extent possible, (3) able to vary with the nature and size of the implementing small business and the sensitivity of the data collected or stored on the information systems, and (4) consistent with the national cybersecurity awareness and education program under the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014. Additionally, the resources must include case studies of practical application.

Other federal agencies may also elect to publish the resources on their own websites.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 2105Related bill

    NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Act

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 25 actions.

  1. Aug 14, 2018Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 115-236.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Aug 3, 2018FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Aug 2, 2018FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. Aug 1, 2018Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendments to S. 770 by Unanimous Consent.
  6. OtherOther · Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate agreed to the House amendments to S. 770 by Unanimous Consent.
  7. Jul 26, 2018FloorFloor · Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendments to Senate bill.
  8. Jul 25, 2018FloorFloor · The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
  9. FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  10. FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
  11. FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
  12. FloorFloor · Mr. Webster (FL) asked unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table and consider.
  13. Apr 25, 2018CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 115-300.
  14. CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee
  15. Oct 2, 2017FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
  16. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  17. Sep 29, 2017FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  18. Sep 28, 2017FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  19. FloorFloor · The committee substitute as amended agreed to by Unanimous Consent.
  20. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  21. Sep 11, 2017CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 217.
  22. CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Thune with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 115-153.
  23. Apr 5, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
  24. Mar 29, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  25. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

2 amendments offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.

  • S.Amdt. 977SenateSen. Brian SchatzD-HI· offered Sep 12, 2017Agreed to

    To improve the bill.

    Sep 28, 2017: Amendment SA 977 as modified agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

    Agreed to

  • H.Amdt. 951HouseRep. Daniel WebsterR-FL-11· offered Jul 25, 2018Agreed to

    An amendment to strike all after the enacting clause and insert a new text of a bill entitled the NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Act.

    Jul 25, 2018: On agreeing to the Webster (FL) amendment (A001) Agreed to by voice vote.

    Agreed to
Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.