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 per-
cent 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;
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Whereas teen use of the Internet at school has grown 45 per-
cent 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 se-
cure and reliable operation of our information networks 
to support our Nation’s financial services, energy, tele-
communications, transportation, health care, and emer-
gency response systems; 
Whereas cyber security is a critical part of our Nation’s over-
all 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 manufac-
turing processes; 
Whereas terrorists and others with malicious motives have 
demonstrated an interest in utilizing cyber means to at-
tack our Nation, and the Department of Homeland Secu-
rity’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 vi-
ruses, 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
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Commission’s Consumer Sentinel database; and Internet-
related 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 pornog-
raphy on the Internet, and with one in five children hav-
ing 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 com-
puter security and enhance our level of computer and na-
tional security in the United States; 
Whereas the National Cyber Security Alliance’s mission is to 
increase awareness of cyber security practices and tech-
nologies 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 orga-
nizations, businesses, and educational institutions to en-
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courage the development and implementation of existing 
and future computer security voluntary consensus stand-
ards, practices, and technologies in order to enhance the 
state of computer security in the United States.
Attest:
Clerk.