Small Business Cybersecurity Assistance Evaluation Act of 2026

What it does

• •Requires the Comptroller General (head of the Government Accountability Office) to conduct a comprehensive study of all Federal cybersecurity assistance programs, initiatives, resources, tools, and services available to small business concerns.
• •Mandates the study assess small business owners' awareness and actual use of Federal cybersecurity resources, their effectiveness in addressing cyber risks and recovery, and gaps in foundational cybersecurity concepts.
• •Directs the study examine coordination among Federal cybersecurity programs and provide recommendations to improve their effectiveness, awareness, and integration for small businesses.
• •Requires submission of study findings and recommendations to the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and the House Committee on Small Business.

Why it matters

• •The study is intended to identify whether Federal cybersecurity assistance programs are reaching small business owners, why some programs have low awareness or use, and whether they are effectively helping businesses identify risks, prepare for attacks, and obtain funding for cybersecurity improvements.
• •Results may inform future policy decisions about consolidating, improving, or restructuring Federal cybersecurity support to make it more accessible and useful to the small business sector.

Who is affected

• •Small business concerns as defined by the Small Business Act (typically firms with fewer than a specified number of employees depending on industry).
• •Federal agencies operating cybersecurity assistance programs and initiatives.
• •Congress, specifically the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and House Committee on Small Business.

What happens next

The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship for consideration; the study itself carries no requirement for additional federal funding and will be conducted within existing agency resources.