Protecting Critical Infrastructure Act

HR 3278, the Protecting Critical Infrastructure Act, increases criminal penalties for attacks on critical infrastructure and authorizes sanctions against foreign individuals or entities that knowingly access such infrastructure to harm U.S. national security or citizen safety. The bill adds a mandatory minimum 30-year prison term or life imprisonment for offenses involving critical infrastructure (defined in existing law) and requires the President to impose sanctions - including freezing assets and blocking U.S. entry - on foreign persons determined to have accessed infrastructure for harmful purposes. These sanctions apply to foreign individuals or entities, with limited exceptions for U.N. personnel and a 180-day waiver option for national security reasons. The law mandates regulations within 90 days and defines key terms like "critical infrastructure," "foreign person," and "knowingly" to clarify implementation.