[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 25, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S130]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REID (for himself, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Leahy, 
        Mr. Levin, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Rockefeller, and Mr. Bingaman):
  S. 21. A bill to secure the United States against cyber attack, to 
enhance American competetiveness and create jobs in the information 
technology industry, and to protect the identities and sensitive 
information of American citizens and businesses; to the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the 
bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 21

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Cyber Security and American 
     Cyber Competitiveness Act of 2011''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Malicious state, terrorist, and criminal actors 
     exploiting vulnerabilities in information and communications 
     networks and gaps in cyber security pose one of the most 
     serious and rapidly growing threats to both the national 
     security and economy of the United States.
       (2) With information technology now the backbone of the 
     United States economy, a critical element of United States 
     national security infrastructure and defense systems, the 
     primary foundation of global communications, and a key 
     enabler of most critical infrastructure, nearly every single 
     American citizen is touched by cyberspace and is threatened 
     by cyber attacks.
       (3) Malicious actors in cyberspace have already caused 
     significant damage to the United States Government, the 
     United States economy, and United States citizens: United 
     States Government computer networks are probed millions of 
     times each day; approximately 9,000,000 Americans have their 
     identities stolen each year; cyber crime costs American 
     businesses with 500 or more employees an average of 
     $3,800,000 per year; and intellectual property worth over 
     $1,000,000,000,000 has already been stolen from American 
     businesses.
       (4) In its 2009 Cyberspace Policy Review, the White House 
     concluded, ``Ensuring that cyberspace is sufficiently 
     resilient and trustworthy to support United States goals of 
     economic growth, civil liberties and privacy protections, 
     national security, and the continued advancement of 
     democratic institutions requires making cybersecurity a 
     national priority.''
       (5) An effective solution to the tremendous challenges of 
     cyber security demands cooperation and integration of effort 
     across jurisdictions of multiple Federal, State, local, and 
     tribal government agencies, between the government and the 
     private sector, and with international allies, as well as 
     increased public awareness and preparedness among the 
     American people.

     SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of Congress that Congress should enact, and 
     the President should sign, bipartisan legislation to secure 
     the United States against cyber attack, to enhance American 
     competitiveness and create jobs in the information technology 
     industry, and to protect the identities and sensitive 
     information of American citizens and businesses by--
       (1) enhancing the security and resiliency of United States 
     Government communications and information networks against 
     cyber attack by nation-states, terrorists, and cyber 
     criminals;
       (2) incentivizing the private sector to quantify, assess, 
     and mitigate cyber risks to their communications and 
     information networks;
       (3) promoting investments in the American information 
     technology sector that create and maintain good, well-paying 
     jobs in the United States and help to enhance American 
     economic competitiveness;
       (4) improving the capability of the United States 
     Government to assess cyber risks and prevent, detect, and 
     robustly respond to cyber attacks against the government and 
     the military;
       (5) improving the capability of the United States 
     Government and the private sector to assess cyber risk and 
     prevent, detect, and robustly respond to cyber attacks 
     against United States critical infrastructure;
       (6) preventing and mitigating identity theft and guarding 
     against abuses or breaches of personally identifiable 
     information;
       (7) enhancing United States diplomatic capacity and 
     international cooperation to respond to emerging cyber 
     threats, including promoting security and freedom of access 
     for communications and information networks around the world 
     and battling global cyber crime through focused diplomacy;
       (8) protecting and increasing the resiliency of United 
     States' critical infrastructure and assets, including the 
     electric grid, military assets, the financial sector, and 
     telecommunications networks against cyber attacks and other 
     threats and vulnerabilities;
       (9) expanding tools and resources for investigating and 
     prosecuting cyber crimes in an manner that respects privacy 
     rights and civil liberties and promotes American innovation; 
     and
       (10) maintaining robust protections of the privacy of 
     American citizens and their on-line activities and 
     communications.
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