[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 502 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 502

Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to raising awareness and 
  enhancing the state of computer security in the United States, and 
supporting the goals and ideals of National Computer Security Awareness 
                                 Month.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 29, 2004

 Mr. Boehlert (for himself, Mr. Gordon, Mr. Cox, Mr. Turner of Texas, 
    Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Waxman, and Mr. Clay) submitted the following 
 concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Science

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to raising awareness and 
  enhancing the state of computer security in the United States, and 
supporting the goals and ideals of National Computer Security Awareness 
                                 Month.

Whereas an estimated 200,000,000 Americans use the Internet in the United 
        States, including 51 percent 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 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 Internet users and our information infrastructure face an increasing 
        threat of malicious attack through viruses, worms, Trojans, and unwanted 
        programs such as spyware, adware, hacking tools, and password stealers;
Whereas consumers face significant financial and personal privacy losses due to 
        identity theft and fraud, as reported in 500,000 complaints in 2003 to 
        the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Sentinel database;
Whereas Internet attacks have become increasingly fast in propagation and costly 
        to repair, as with the estimated $2,000,000,000 in damages caused by 
        Blaster, Welchia, and Sobig.F outbreaks in August 2003;
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 enhancing Americans' awareness of computer security practices and 
        technologies can greatly improve our Nation's level of computer 
        security;
Whereas there are national organizations, such as the nonprofit National Cyber 
        Security Alliance, policymakers, government agencies, private sector 
        companies, end-users, and others who stand ready to assist consumers, 
        businesses, and our youth protect themselves online;
Whereas policymakers, government agencies, national organizations, private 
        sector companies, nonprofit institutions, schools, consumers, and the 
        media should recognize the need to increase awareness of computer 
        security and to enhance the state of computer security in the United 
        States; and
Whereas the National Cyber Security Alliance has designated October as National 
        Computer Security Awareness Month, which will provide an opportunity to 
        educate the people of the United States about computer security: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),  
That Congress--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Computer 
        Security Awareness Month; and
            (2) should work with Federal agencies, national 
        organizations, businesses, and educational institutions to 
        encourage the implementation and development of existing and 
        future computer security standards, practices, and technologies 
        in order to enhance the state of computer security in the 
        United States.
                                 <all>