H. Res. 491

In the House of Representatives, U.S., 

October 17, 2005.

Whereas over 202,000,000 Americans use the Internet in the 

United States, including 53 percent of home-users 

through broadband connections, to communicate with 

family and friends, manage their finances, pay their bills, 

improve their education, shop at home, and read about 

current events; 

Whereas the approximately 23,000,000 small businesses in 

the United States, who represent 99.7 percent of all 

United States employers and employ 50.1 percent of the 

private work force, increasingly rely on the Internet to 

manage their businesses, expand their customer reach, 

and enhance their connection with their supply chain; 

Whereas nearly 100 percent of public schools in the United 

States have Internet access, with approximately 80 percent of instructional rooms connected to the Internet, to 

enhance our children’s education by providing access to 

educational online content and encouraging responsible 

self-initiative to discover research resources; 

Whereas almost 9 in 10 teenagers between the ages of 12 

and 17, or 87 percent of all youth (approximately 

21,000,000 people) use the Internet, and 78 percent (or 

about 16,000,000 students) say they use the Internet at 

school; 
2

•HRES 491 EH 

Whereas teen use of the Internet at school has grown 45 percent since 2000, and educating children of all ages about 

safe, secure, and ethical practices will not only protect 

their systems, but will protect our children’s physical 

safety, and help them become good cyber citizens; 

Whereas our Nation’s critical infrastructures rely on the secure and reliable operation of our information networks 

to support our Nation’s financial services, energy, telecommunications, transportation, health care, and emergency response systems; 

Whereas cyber security is a critical part of our Nation’s overall homeland security, in particular the control systems 

that control and monitor our drinking water, dams, and 

other water management systems; our electricity grids, 

oil and gas supplies, and pipeline distribution networks; 

our transportation systems; and other critical manufacturing processes; 

Whereas terrorists and others with malicious motives have 

demonstrated an interest in utilizing cyber means to attack our Nation, and the Department of Homeland Security’s mission includes securing the homeland against 

cyber terrorism and other attacks; 

Whereas Internet users and our information infrastructure 

face an increasing threat of malicious attacks through viruses, worms, Trojans, and unwanted programs such as 

spyware, adware, hacking tools, and password stealers, 

that are frequent and fast in propagation, are costly to 

repair, and disable entire systems; 

Whereas consumers face significant financial and personal 

privacy losses due to identity theft and fraud, as reported 

in 205,568 complaints in 2004 to the Federal Trade 
3

•HRES 491 EH 

Commission’s Consumer Sentinel database; and Internetrelated complaints in 2004 accounted for 53 percent of 

all reported fraud complaints, with monetary losses of 

over $265,000,000 and a median loss of $214; 

Whereas our Nation’s youth face increasing threats online 

such as inappropriate content or child predators, with 70 

percent of teens having accidentally come across pornography on the Internet, and with one in five children having been approached by a child predator online each year; 

Whereas national organizations, policymakers, government 

agencies, private sector companies, nonprofit institutions, 

schools, academic organizations, consumers, and the 

media recognize the need to increase awareness of computer security and enhance our level of computer and national security in the United States; 

Whereas the National Cyber Security Alliance’s mission is to 

increase awareness of cyber security practices and technologies to home users, students, teachers, and small 

businesses through educational activities, online resources 

and checklists, and Public Service Announcements; and 

Whereas the National Cyber Security Alliance has designated 

October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month, 

which will provide an opportunity to educate the people 

of the United States about computer security: Now, 

therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) supports the goals and ideals of National Cyber 

Security Awareness Month; and 

(2) will work with Federal agencies, national organizations, businesses, and educational institutions to en-
4

•HRES 491 EH 

courage the development and implementation of existing 

and future computer security voluntary consensus standards, practices, and technologies in order to enhance the 

state of computer security in the United States.

Attest:

Clerk.