[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 154 (Thursday, October 22, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RAISING AWARENESS AND ENHANCING THE STATE OF CYBER SECURITY IN THE 
                             UNITED STATES

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 20, 2009

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Homeland Security 
Committee, a member of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cyber 
Security, and Science and Technology, and a co-sponsor of this 
legislation, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 797, the ``National 
Cyber Security Awareness Month Resolution.'' October is National Cyber 
Security Awareness Month, and in this digital age when so much of our 
country's economic and financial transactions are conducted in 
cyberspace over distributed computing networks, there are few higher 
priorities than cyber security.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Yvette Clark, the gentle lady from New York and 
Chair of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cyber Security, and 
Science and Technology, for her leadership and vision in recognizing 
the importance of cyber security in our overall national security. I 
could not agree more with Congresswoman Clarke that it is not enough to 
just acknowledge the importance of this issue. In this digital age, we 
must work with federal agencies, national organizations, businesses, 
and educational institutions to strengthen existing security measures 
and to develop new methods to enhance the cyber security of the United 
States.
  The tragedy of September 11th shook our national security like no 
event before or since. Although our Nation has remained safe and secure 
from physical attacks during the eight years since that terrible day, 
in this digital age we must remain vigilant against a possible 
terrorist attack on our cyber networks.
  Such an attack could have devastating and immediate consequences for 
our nation and all of our citizens; funds could not be accessed from 
ATMs; mail service would be interrupted; the efficient movement of 
goods would be severely curtailed; capital markets could be shut down; 
and emergency response operations would be deprived of the information 
needed to save lives and property.
  While this doomsday scenario has been the subject of the silver 
screen in recent years (e.g., ``Die Hard or Live Free,'' ``Eagle 
Eye''), make no mistake--the danger is very real and we ignore or 
minimize it at our peril. Many nations, including Russia, China, and 
North Korea, already possess the capability to launch cyber attacks 
against unprepared adversaries or competitors. And terrorist groups 
like al Qaeda are working round the clock to acquire this capability. 
Clearly, the United States must be proactive if we are to secure the 
physical and cyber networks of our country.
  That is why I am also an original co-sponsor of H.R. 2195, the 
``Critical Electric Infrastructure Protection Act.'' Among other 
things, this legislation provides the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission the authority to create mandatory physical and cyber 
security standards for the electric power system. I look forward to the 
day when the Homeland Security Committee reports this legislation 
favorably to the House.
  But today, I am very proud to stand with Chairwoman Clarke in support 
of H. Res. 797, which is a clarion call to action to secure our 
nation's cyber networks. I urge all Members to join with me in voting 
for this resolution.

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