Bill · S. 4453· Senate(119-S-4453)
LINK Act
- Introduced
- 4/30/2026
- Last activity
- 4/30/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Sponsored by
- Adam Schiff
- Cosponsors
- - 0 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The LINK Act requires the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to coordinate their information technology and cybersecurity systems. The goal is to ensure these systems are interoperable so the two departments can share information regarding specific covered activities. These activities include federal land management, disaster and emergency preparedness, and various business system activities. The bill mandates the creation of a joint interoperability implementation plan. This plan must include a strategy for the phased retirement of older, siloed systems. The Secretaries must implement this plan within one year of the Act's enactment.
Yes· 3 of 9
Would Native Americans be better off under this?+6
The bill requires consultation with Indian Tribes and protects their data sovereignty.
Does this give people more control over their personal data?+5
The bill explicitly excludes Tribal proprietary data and sensitive cave location data from information sharing.
Does this better protect the country from computer attacks?+5
The bill requires the coordination of cybersecurity and information security systems between departments.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Improved Federal Land Management and Emergency Response: By making systems interoperable, the departments can share information regarding federal land management activities, specifically emphasizing wildfire operations, as well as disaster and emergency preparedness and response activities (Section 2(b)(1) and Section 2(b)(2)).
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Efficient Business and Workforce Operations: The sharing of information can improve procurement, aviation management, and personnel and workforce management related to land and disaster activities (Section 2(b)(2)(C)).
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Protection of Tribal Interests: The bill requires the Secretaries to consult with Indian Tribes and provide appropriate protections for Tribal data sovereignty (Section 2(b)(4)). Additionally, the sharing of information explicitly excludes any Tribal proprietary data (Section 2(b)(1)).
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Preservation of Operational Capacity: The required implementation plan must include a strategy for retiring legacy systems that ensures the retirement does not result in a degradation of operational capacity or mission safety (Section 2(c)(2)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Risk of Data Exposure: While the bill includes exclusions for sensitive information, the push for interoperability involves sharing information regarding various covered activities (Section 2(b)(1)).
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Potential Loss of Sensitive Data: The bill notes that certain information, such as sensitive cave location data or other proprietary information designated by law, must be excluded from the sharing process (Section 2(b)(1)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Native Americans+6Good For Rural Residents+3
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Disaster Relief And F E M A+4Improves Environmental Protections+4
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Privacy Rights+4Improves Government Transparency+3
- Education And Technology
- Improves Data Privacy+5
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Improves Cybersecurity Defense+5
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Racial Equity+5
- 4/30/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
Pete RickettsRepublican · Nebraska