[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 138 (Tuesday, September 29, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9941-S9942]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS MONTH

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation Committees be discharged from further 
consideration of S. Res. 285, and that the Senate proceed to its 
consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 285) supporting the goals and ideals 
     of national cybersecurity awareness month and raising and 
     enhancing the state of cybersecurity in the United States.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, 
the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be laid upon 
the table en bloc; that any statements be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 285) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 285

       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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