Raising Awareness And Enhancing The State Of Cyber Security In The United States

Floor Speech

* 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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