[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 206 (Tuesday, November 30, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H6690-H6691]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  AMERICAN CYBERSECURITY LITERACY ACT

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4055) to establish a cybersecurity literacy campaign, and 
for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4055

       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 ``American Cybersecurity 
     Literacy Act''.

     SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of the Congress that the United States has 
     a national security and economic interest in promoting 
     cybersecurity literacy amongst the general public.

     SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF CYBERSECURITY LITERACY CAMPAIGN.

       (a) In General.--The Assistant Secretary shall develop and 
     conduct a cybersecurity literacy campaign (which shall be 
     available in multiple languages and formats, if practicable) 
     to increase the knowledge and awareness of the American 
     people of best practices to reduce cybersecurity risks.
       (b) Campaign.--To reduce cybersecurity risks, the Assistant 
     Secretary shall--
       (1) educate the American people on how to prevent and 
     mitigate cyberattacks and cybersecurity risks, including by--
       (A) instructing the American people on how to identify--
       (i) phishing emails and messages; and
       (ii) secure websites;
       (B) instructing the American people about the benefits of 
     changing default passwords on hardware and software 
     technology;
       (C) encouraging the use of cybersecurity tools, including--
       (i) multi-factor authentication;
       (ii) complex passwords;
       (iii) anti-virus software;
       (iv) patching and updating software and applications; and
       (v) virtual private networks;
       (D) identifying the devices that could pose possible 
     cybersecurity risks, including--
       (i) personal computers;
       (ii) smartphones;
       (iii) tablets;
       (iv) Wi-Fi routers;
       (v) smart home appliances;
       (vi) webcams;
       (vii) internet-connected monitors; and
       (viii) any other device that can be connected to the 
     internet, including mobile devices other than smartphones and 
     tablets;
       (E) encouraging Americans to--
       (i) regularly review mobile application permissions;
       (ii) decline privilege requests from mobile applications 
     that are unnecessary;
       (iii) download applications only from trusted vendors or 
     sources; and
       (iv) consider a product's life cycle and the developer or 
     manufacturer's commitment to providing security updates 
     during a connected device's expected period of use; and
       (F) identifying the potential cybersecurity risks of using 
     publicly available Wi-Fi networks and the methods a user may 
     utilize to limit such risks; and
       (2) encourage the American people to use resources to help 
     mitigate the cybersecurity risks identified in this 
     subsection.
       (c) Assistant Secretary Defined.--In this section, the term 
     ``Assistant Secretary'' means the Assistant Secretary of 
     Commerce for Communications and Information.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 4055.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4055, the American 
Cybersecurity Literacy Act. Cybersecurity threats targeting Americans 
are increasingly common, particularly since wireless devices 
proliferate our society.
  H.R. 4055, the American Cybersecurity Literacy Act, is intended to 
help Americans arm themselves with the information and tools they need 
to prevent being a victim of a cyberattack. The bipartisan legislation 
requires the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information to 
create and conduct a cybersecurity campaign to increase the knowledge 
and awareness of best practices to avoid cyberattacks.
  The bill also requires the campaign to, among other things, provide 
instructions about how to identify common problematic attacks like 
phishing emails and unsecure websites. The campaign will also highlight 
the benefits of changing default passwords and encouraging the use of 
cybersecurity tools like multifactor identification and complex 
passwords.
  Finally, to ensure that as many Americans as possible can benefit 
from this information, the legislation requires the campaign to be in 
as many languages and formats as practicable.
  This legislation will arm the American people with critical 
information that they need to ensure they are not the victim of a 
cyberattack. It is important to note that by passing this bill we are 
not shifting the burden of preventing cybersecurity attacks away from 
large, sophisticated companies and onto individuals. Companies still 
have the primary responsibility of preventing these attacks, and there 
is still

[[Page H6691]]

much work to do, but this legislation adds additional layers of 
protection by giving consumers the tools and information to protect 
themselves.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to applaud Representatives Kinzinger, Eshoo, 
Veasey, Houlahan, and Bilirakis for their work on this important 
bipartisan bill that continues our work of protecting consumers. I urge 
my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4055, the American 
Cybersecurity Literacy Act, which was introduced by Representatives 
Kinzinger and Eshoo.
  The Cybersecurity Solarium Commission identified cyber hygiene as a 
key challenge affecting our readiness as a country. As many 
cybersecurity professionals will attest, there are common steps that 
Americans can take to prevent disruption to networks and the theft of 
personal information.
  This legislation directs the National Telecommunications and 
Information Administration to establish a cybersecurity literacy 
campaign to educate Americans on cybersecurity risks and best practices 
to reduce those risks. By increasing awareness of the simple steps that 
can be taken every day, we can reduce cybersecurity incidents. I urge 
my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, again, this is a very important piece of legislation. I 
have had about seven different cybersecurity events with the FBI in my 
district for my constituents. One of the things that they have always 
stressed is good hygiene, and over 80 percent is good hygiene, to 
prevent these cybersecurity attacks.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this legislation, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge support again for the bipartisan 
bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4055, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
  Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion 
are postponed.

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