[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 285 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 285

  Supporting the goals and ideals of national cybersecurity awareness 
month and raising awareness and enhancing the state of cybersecurity in 
                           the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 24, 2009

  Mrs. Feinstein (for herself, Mr. Rockefeller, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. 
Carper, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Lieberman, Ms. Collins, Mr. Reid, Mr. Levin, 
    Mr. Bennett, Ms. Snowe, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Bayh, Mr. 
 Voinovich, and Mr. Cochran) submitted the following resolution; which 
 was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

                           September 29, 2009

             Committee discharged; considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Supporting the goals and ideals of national cybersecurity awareness 
month and raising awareness and enhancing the state of cybersecurity in 
                           the United States.

Whereas the use of the Internet in the United States, to communicate, conduct 
        business, or generate commerce that benefits the overall United States 
        economy, is ubiquitous;
Whereas many people use the Internet in the United States 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 United States small businesses, which employ a significant fraction 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 all public schools in the United States have Internet access to 
        enhance 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 the number of children who connect to the Internet 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 websites has attracted 
        millions of teenagers, providing access to a range of valuable services, 
        making it all the more important to teach young users how to avoid 
        potential threats like cyber bullies, predators, and identity thieves 
        they may come across while using such services;
Whereas cybersecurity is a critical part of the United States national security 
        and economic security;
Whereas the United States critical infrastructures and economy rely on the 
        secure and reliable operation of information networks to support the 
        United States military, civilian government, energy, telecommunications, 
        financial services, transportation, health care, and emergency response 
        systems;
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 may disable entire systems;
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 cybersecurity and the need for enhanced cybersecurity in 
        the United States;
Whereas coordination between the numerous Federal agencies involved in 
        cybersecurity efforts is essential to securing the cyber infrastructure 
        of the United States;
Whereas the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, published in February 2003, 
        recommends a comprehensive national awareness program to empower all 
        people in the United States, including businesses, the general 
        workforce, and the general population, to secure their own parts of 
        cyberspace;
Whereas the White House's Cyberspace Policy Review, published in May 2009, 
        recommends that the government initiate a national public awareness and 
        education campaign to promote cybersecurity; and
Whereas the National Cyber Security Alliance, the Multi-State Information 
        Sharing and Analysis Center, the Department of Homeland Security, and 
        other organizations working to improve cybersecurity in the United 
        States have designated October 2009 as the sixth annual National 
        Cybersecurity Awareness Month which serves to educate the people of the 
        United States about the importance of cybersecurity: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Cybersecurity 
        Awareness Month, as designated by the National Cyber Security 
        Alliance, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis 
        Center, the Department of Homeland Security, and other 
        organizations working to improve cybersecurity in the United 
        States;
            (2) continues to work with Federal agencies, businesses, 
        educational institutions, and other organizations to enhance 
        the state of cybersecurity in the United States; and
            (3) congratulates the National Cyber Security Alliance, the 
        Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, the 
        Department of Homeland Security, and other organizations 
        working to improve cybersecurity in the United States on the 
        sixth anniversary of the National Cybersecurity Month during 
        October 2009.
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