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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1456 Introduced in House (IH)]

110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1456

 Supporting the goals and ideals of National Cyber Security Awareness 
    Month and raising awareness and enhancing the state of computer 
                     security in the United States.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 17, 2008

 Mr. Langevin (for himself, Mr. McCaul of Texas, Mr. Wu, Mr. Gingrey, 
 Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, and Mr. King of New York) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Science 
                             and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Supporting the goals and ideals of National Cyber Security Awareness 
    Month and raising awareness and enhancing the state of computer 
                     security in the United States.

Whereas the use of the Internet in the United States, to communicate, conduct 
        business, or generate commerce that benefits our overall economy, is 
        ubiquitous;
Whereas more than 200,000,000 adults use the Internet in the United States, 70 
        percent of whom connect through broadband connections, to communicate 
        with family and friends, manage finances and pay bills, access 
        educational opportunities, shop at home, participate in online 
        entertainment and games, and stay informed of news and current events;
Whereas the nearly 27,000,000 United States small businesses, which represent 
        more than 99 percent of all United States employers and employ more than 
        50 percent of the private workforce, increasingly rely on the Internet 
        to manage their businesses, expand their customer reach, and enhance the 
        management of their supply chain;
Whereas nearly 100 percent of public schools in the United States have Internet 
        access to enhance our children's education, with a significant 
        percentage of instructional rooms connected to the Internet to enhance 
        children's education by providing access to educational online content 
        and encouraging self-initiative to discover research resources;
Whereas almost 9 in 10 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17, or approximately 
        87 percent of all youth, use the Internet;
Whereas the number of children who connect to the Internet at school continues 
        to rise, and teaching children of all ages to become good cyber-citizens 
        through safe, secure, and ethical online behaviors and practices is 
        essential to protect their computer systems and potentially their 
        physical safety;
Whereas the growth and popularity of social networking Web sites have attracted 
        millions of teenagers, providing access to a range of valuable services, 
        making it all the more important to teach teenaged users how to avoid 
        potential threats like cyber bullies, predators, and identity thieves 
        they may come across while using such services;
Whereas cyber security is a critical part of the Nation's overall homeland 
        security;
Whereas the Nation's critical infrastructures and economy rely on the secure and 
        reliable operation of information networks to support the Nation's 
        financial services, energy, telecommunications, transportation, health 
        care, and emergency response systems;
Whereas cyber attacks have been attempted against the Nation and the United 
        States economy, and the Department of Homeland Security's mission 
        includes securing the homeland against cyber terrorism and other 
        attacks;
Whereas Internet users and information infrastructure owners and operators face 
        an increasing threat of malicious crime and fraud 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 coordination between the numerous Federal agencies involved in cyber 
        security efforts, including the Department of Homeland Security, the 
        National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Science 
        Foundation, and others is essential to securing the Nation's critical 
        cyber infrastructure;
Whereas millions of records containing personally identifiable information have 
        been lost, stolen, or breached, threatening the security and financial 
        well-being of United States citizens;
Whereas consumers face significant financial and personal privacy losses due to 
        personally identifiable information being more exposed to theft and 
        fraud than ever before;
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 the need for enhanced computer 
        security in the United States;
Whereas the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace recommends a comprehensive 
        national awareness program to empower all people in the United States, 
        businesses, the general workforce, and the general population, to secure 
        their own parts of cyberspace; and
Whereas the Department of Homeland Security, in conjunction with the National 
        Cyber Security Alliance and the Multi-State Information Sharing and 
        Analysis Center, designates October 2008 as the fifth annual National 
        Cyber Security Awareness Month which serves to educate the people of the 
        United States about the importance of computer security: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Cyber 
        Security Awareness Month;
            (2) congratulates the National Cyber Security Division, the 
        National Cyber Security Alliance, and the Multi-State 
        Information Sharing and Analysis Center on the fifth 
        anniversary of the National Cyber Security Month; and
            (3) continues to work with Federal agencies, national 
        organizations, businesses, and educational institutions to 
        encourage 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.
                                 <all>
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