Senate Intelligence Authorization Bill Advances with Key Provisions Authored by Senator Collins

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, announced that the Committee advanced the Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 by a 15-2 vote. The bill authorizes funding, provides legal authorities, and enhances congressional oversight for the U.S. Intelligence Community, and includes multiple provisions authored by Senator Collins. The bill now awaits consideration by the full Senate.

“The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 is critical for the Intelligence Community to defend U.S. interests and to arm policy and decision makers with critical information,” said Senator Collins. “This bipartisan bill would also build upon the effectiveness of the security clearance process, strengthen cybersecurity, and increase congressional oversight of the Intelligence Community.”

The provisions co-authored by Senator Collins address the following issues:

• Requiring improvement to the security of our voting and election systems through cybersecurity penetration testing and accreditation, by amending the Help America Vote Act of 2002. This provision was co-authored with Chairman Warner, and was originally introduced as the SECURE IT Act (“Strengthening and Enhancing Cybersecurity by Using Research, Education, Information, and Technology” Act) in the FY24 and FY25 IAA.
• Ensuring continued support for victims of Anomalous Health Incidents (AHIs) by mandating that the Intelligence Community support Department of Defense AHI medical research, along with a requirement for the ODNI to issue standard AHI reporting guidelines. This provision was co-sponsored with Senators Cotton, Warner and Gillibrand.
• Extension of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015, to 2035. This provision was co-sponsored with Senators Warner, King, and Rounds.

Additional subjects of critical importance to Senator Collins which were included in this IAA were: AHI budget increase to military intelligence centers and health agencies for medical and mechanical research; new policy requirements to support biomedical and biotechnological research to defend against various threats; and multiple security clearance reform initiatives.

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