Supporting the goals and ideals of National Internet Safety Month.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 455) supporting the goals and ideals of National Internet Safety Month, as amended.

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 the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, June is National Internet Safety Month, and the resolution before us today highlights this designation. As a member of the Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I want to commend the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Bean) for introducing this resolution and for her efforts to protect our children from the lurking dangers on the Internet.

It is not hyperbole to say that the Internet is the most powerful tool ever developed for disseminating information to as many people as possible. Not since the invention of radio or, perhaps, since even the printing press, has a technological development so radically altered the means by which we spread information to the general public.

Moreover, the Internet has completely revolutionized the way in which we communicate with each other on an individualized basis. Not since the invention of the telephone has a technology revolutionized the way in which we interact with each other, one on one, regardless of distance or geography.

But, of course, with such great revolutions, there are always drawbacks. There will always be some who take advantage of the profound benefits provided by technology and use it for nefarious purposes. As marvelous as the Internet and the World Wide Web have become as a means of empowering ordinary people to communicate ideas in a manner that was once unimaginable, the Internet has also becoming a breeding ground, yes, a breeding ground for poisonous messages and images. It has become the modern, virtual wild, wild west where cyberbandits and thieves roam to prey on unsuspecting consumers by deception and by extracting from them sensitive private information.

And at its very worst, the Internet and the World Wide Web can be a complete snakepit, full of predators and scum who would prey on the most innocent and vulnerable members of our society, our children.

Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 455 supports the goals and ideals of National Internet Safety Month. The resolution before us recognizes the many national and community organizations that exist to educate parents and children on what steps they can take to protect their families from unsuitable content and from online predators.

The Federal Trade Commission is the crown jewel of the Federal Government's mission to protect consumers, and has played a critical role in this regard. In addition to its ongoing efforts to crack down on cybercrime, the Commission has engaged in a public relations campaign to promote awareness and online safety habits.

The FTC has established a 1-800 number which serves as a help line and as the designee where consumers can file complaints. Moreover, the Commission has set up a special Web site, www.OnGuardOnline.gov--that is www.OnGuardOnline.gov--to provide tips to consumers in protecting themselves and their children from Internet fraud.

Lastly, Mr. Speaker, the FTC is engaged in a public awareness campaign to promote Internet safety through a child-friendly mascot named ``Dewie the Turtle,'' much the same way Smokey the Bear successfully promoted the prevention of forest fires.

In addition to the FTC's efforts, numerous private and community- based organizations exist to educate and empower parents, young children and teenagers to have a safe, wholesome Internet experience.

They all provide a commendable service that parents and consumers should use to help empower themselves against Internet dangers. These organizations are listed on the FTC's Web site, and I will include the list into the Record at this point.

For More Information

To learn more about staying safe online, visit the

following organizations:

Federal Trade Commission--www.OnGuardOnline.gov--The FTC

works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and

unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide

information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To

file a complaint or to get free information on consumer

issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-

877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet,

telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related

complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database

available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement

agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

The FTC manages OnGuardOnline.gov, which provides practical

tips from the federal government and the technology industry

to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your

computer, and protect your personal information.

GetNetWise--www.getnetwise.org--GetNetWise is a public

service sponsored by Internet industry corporations and

public interest organizations to help ensure that Internet

users have safe, constructive, and educational or

entertaining online experiences. The GetNetWise coalition

wants Internet users to be just ``one click away'' from the

resources they need to make informed decisions about their

and their family's use of the Internet.

Internet Keep Safe Coalition--www.iKeepSafe.org--

iKeepSafe.org, home of Faux Paw the Techno Cat, is a

coalition of 49 governors/first spouses, law enforcement, the

American Medical Association, the American Academy of

Pediatrics, and other associations dedicated to helping

parents, educators, and caregivers by providing tools and

guidelines to teach children the safe and healthy use of

technology. The organization's vision is to see generations

of children worldwide grow up safely using technology and the

Internet.

i-SAFE--www.i-safe.org--Founded in 1998 and endorsed by the

U.S. Congress, i-SAFE is a non-profit foundation dedicated to

protecting the online experiences of youth everywhere. i-SAFE

incorporates classroom curriculum with dynamic community

outreach to empower students, teachers, parents, law

enforcement, and concerned adults to make the Internet a

safer place. Join them today in the fight to safeguard

children's online experience.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children--

www.missingkids.com; www.netsmartz.org--NCMEC is a private,

non-profit organization that helps prevent child abduction

and sexual exploitation; helps find missing children; and

assists victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation,

their families, and the professionals who serve them.

National Crime Prevention Council--www.ncpc.org;

www.mcgruff.org--The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC)

is a private, nonprofit organization whose primary mission is

to enable people to create safer and more caring communities

by addressing the causes of crime and violence and reducing

the opportunities for crime to occur. Among many crime

prevention issues, NCPC addresses Internet Safety with kids

and parents through www.mcgruff.org and public service

advertising under the National Citizens' Crime Prevention

Campaign--symbolized by McGruff the Crime Dog' and

his ``Take A Bite Out Of Crime'.''

National Cyber Security Alliance--www.staysafeonline.org--

NCSA is a non-profit organization that provides tools and

resources to empower home users, small businesses, and

schools, colleges, and universities to stay safe online. A

public-private partnership, NCSA members include the

Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Trade

Commission, and many private-sector corporations and

organizations.

staysafe--www.staysafe.org_staysafe.org_is an educational

site intended to help consumers understand both the positive

aspects of the Internet as well as how to manage a variety of

safety and security issues that exist online.

Wired Safety--www.wiredsafety.org--WiredSafety.org is an

Internet safety and help group. Comprised of unpaid

volunteers around the world, WiredSafety.org provides

education, assistance, and awareness on all aspects of

cybrcrime and abuse, privacy, security, and responsible

technology use. It is also the parent group of

Teenangels.org, FBI-trained teens and preteens who promote

Internet safety.

The measure before us today, Mr. Speaker, encourages consumers and parents to take advantage of these resources.

Again, I want to thank my good friend from Illinois, Congresswoman Bean. She's such a champion on this issue. I want to thank her for this resolution, and I hope the House will see fit to pass this measure in expeditious fashion.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 6 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Bean), the author of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 455, which supports the goals and ideals of National Internet Safety Month. Following the lead of the Senate, I'm proud that the House of Representatives will recognize June 2007 as National Internet Safety Month with passage of my resolution today.

I want to thank Chairman Dingell and the resolution's cosponsors, Representatives Upton, Green, Shimkus, Matheson, Donnelly and Gillibrand, for their help bringing to the floor this resolution on Internet safety.

The Internet is a wonderful resource for our children. Over 35 million students have access to the Internet and use it every day to expand their knowledge beyond what they can learn in textbooks and in the classroom. In addition, the Internet allows kids to stay connected with their friends when not at school.

The Internet has increased productivity and opened a new world of opportunities for our children; but at the same time, it has opened a world of dangers. These threats, whether it be unwanted online solicitations, Internet scams or cyberbullying, are dangerous and real. In order for our children to be protected from the dangers of the Internet, we must work together to raise awareness of Internet safety.

As noted in today's resolution, 41 percent of middle and high school students do not tell their parents about their Internet communications; 61 percent of students admit to using the Internet unsafely or inappropriately; and of most concern, 20 percent of middle school and high school students have met face-to-face with someone they first met online.

In recent studies conducted by the Department of Justice, one in seven children between the ages of 10 and 17 received a sexual solicitation online and one in 25, or essentially one per classroom, have received an aggressive sexual solicitation when a predator calls them on the phone, sends them gifts, or requests a meeting.

Fortunately, our schools, nonprofits, local, State and Federal governments, and concerned corporate citizens have been actively engaging children on Internet safety. Programs vary, but all emphasize the importance of protecting personal information, keeping parents informed of Internet actions, and being careful who you talk to online.

For the last 2\1/2\ years, I have hosted Internet safety forums for kids and adults in my own congressional district. Having teenage daughters of my own, I discovered while they enjoyed the opportunity to express themselves with popular networking sites, they had no appreciation for the dangers that lurked there. Whenever I meet with students from my district, I always emphasize tips for how to stay online.

We have a little bookmarker that we distribute to children across the district giving them safety tips. Some of those include, number one, not sharing passwords or personal identifying information, and they really don't appreciate that while this is a site that allows them to connect with friends, oftentimes predators are using these sites as online shopping catalogs for potential victims, and by sharing information, they're setting themselves up as just that potential victim.

We also talked to children about while trustworthiness is one of the pillars of character that many schools instill in their own character development programs, that that trustworthiness is not something that anyone they have met on the Internet is deserving of because oftentimes they're not who they say they are, and the 14-year-old from the school across town very well in many cases is a 38-year-old predator from out of State.

We also tell them to avoid posting pictures online. Again, they're sharing pictures of activities and themselves with their friends, but those pictures are often taken out of context and they have no control over how they're used, where they're used, who they're used by. And we also remind particularly our high schoolers that not only colleges but future employers will be looking on these networking sites to see the pictures they have posted; and while they may think these are private or they can take those pictures back, through the use of technology, in most cases they can't. Once they're out there, they can't get those back.

Besides educating children about Internet safety, it's as important to inform parents how to keep their kids safe online. The sad reality is children know far more about the Internet and they're much more comfortable with computer usage than we as parents tend to be, but we have to work at it.

Approximately 50 percent of parents admit that they do not properly monitor their children's Internet activity and they don't use filter, blocking or monitoring software on their home computers. Parents need to be engaged and ask their children what they're doing online.

We all remember, and our children remember, stranger danger. We certainly have all, as parents, encouraged them never to talk to strangers at the playground. The playground has gotten a lot bigger, and now those strangers can come right into our home, and in some cases, our children's bedrooms, which is also why we encourage parents not to put computers in their children's rooms but to put them in a public place.

Finally, install filter blocking and monitoring software to prevent children from visiting dangerous sites.

In addition to today's resolution, I have introduced legislation that will expand the FTC's resources to create public awareness with a national campaign to help kids, teachers and parents protect themselves.

In closing, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 455 and encourage them to use Internet National Safety Month as an opportunity to support the efforts of our local, State and Federal government, local and national nonprofit organizations, and concerned

corporate citizens in promoting Internet safety.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Indiana for yielding and for his work to promote Internet safety.

I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 1260, which supports the goals and ideals of National Internet Safety Month, and I echo the sentiments shared by my colleagues here tonight. Consideration of this resolution today follows House passage of a similar resolution last year recognizing June as National Internet Safety Month. Although we are considering today's resolution just following the close of the month, I believe it is important to recognize June 2008 as National Internet Safety Month and use this opportunity to continue to raise awareness for Internet safety.

H. Res. 1260 recognizes the important work many Internet safety organizations, Internet service providers, all levels of government, schools, parents, and concerned citizens do regularly to protect children online and promote Internet safety education.

The resolution calls on all concerned citizens to increase their efforts to raise the level of awareness for the need for online safety in the United States.

I want to commend the Internet safety organizations, Internet service providers, FTC, and other individuals who joined me this June in launching the National Partnership for Safe Computing. I am proud to join Congressman Frank Wolf as a co-chair of this partnership, which will work with Members of Congress to provide resources and experts for Internet safety forums in their districts.

Over 35 million students have access to the Internet and use it every day to expand their knowledge beyond what they can learn in textbooks and in the classroom.

But while the Internet has increased their productivity and opened new opportunities to our children, it has also created new threats. These threats, whether it be unwanted online solicitations, Internet scams, or cyber bullying, are troubling and real.

In order for our children to use the Internet safely, we must work together to raise awareness, and as noted in today's resolution, 93 percent of children between 12 and 17 years old use the Internet regularly. Half of them use an online social networking site. Forty- three percent of teens between 13 and 17 have experienced cyber bullying within the past year. And 61 percent of students admit to using the Internet unsafely or inappropriately.

Fortunately, our schools and nonprofits, local, State and Federal governments, and concerned corporate citizens have been actively engaging children regarding Internet safety. Programs vary, but they all emphasize the importance of protecting personal information, keeping parents informed of Internet actions, and being careful who kids are talking to when they're online.

Over the last few years, parents have been getting more involved in their children's actions online, but there's room for improvement. As noted in today's resolution, 68 percent of parents have household rules about what type of Internet sites their children can or cannot visit, and 65 percent of parents review the Web sites their children have visited while on the Internet.

But parents need to stay engaged and ask their children what they're doing online. As a parent, you wouldn't let your son or daughter play with a friend without knowing who was in charge and where they would be playing. The same should be the case with the Internet. It is a large virtual playground, and just like the stranger danger at the neighborhood park, kids need to be supervised.

While raising awareness is important, I am very proud that since June 2007, when we recognized National Internet Safety Month last, the House has passed several pieces of legislation as part of an Internet safety initiative. They included the SAFER NET Act, which I introduced, which would authorize national public awareness campaigns and create a virtual clearinghouse of all necessary Internet safety information at the FTC.

We also passed the PROTECT Act, which I introduced with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, which would build a strong nationwide network of highly trained law enforcement experts to track down the digital footprints of known sex offenders.

The KIDS Act was also passed, which was introduced by Congressman Earl Pomeroy, which I was proud to cosponsor, and would require sex offenders to

register their e-mail and instant message addresses with the National Sex Offender Registry so Internet service providers could prohibit their access to Web sites used by children. They already have to register their physical addresses if they move into your community. They should also have to register their Internet addresses as well. These bills and the others the House has passed will assist parents and teachers in keeping our kids safe online.

In closing, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 1260 and encourage them to use the recent observance of National Internet Safety Month as an opportunity to support the efforts of our local, State and Federal Government, our local and national nonprofit organizations, and other concerned citizens in promoting Internet safety.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from North Carolina and his comments and obviously thank our colleague from Illinois (Ms. Bean) for bringing this very important resolution to the House floor. I'm happy to rise in support of this resolution and emphasize, I believe, its important goals for my colleagues today.

As all of us know, the Internet is a wonderful tool for business, obviously for education, and for recreation. However, we have also learned the Internet can be a wonderful tool for not-so-wonderful different people. There are the general mischief makers, hackers seeking a cheap thrill, personal identity thieves that we know about and, most repugnant, stalkers and child predators.

But despite the plethora of information out there, many people are still unaware of the significant dangers the Internet poses to our children. Children themselves are often unaware of the danger, but are of a--well, you know, it won't happen to me--type of thinking.

That mindset can lead to trouble, and we've seen that in the NBC program, ``To Catch a Predator,'' in which

we've seen the insidious operations in which these child predators come in looking for the child, the teenager, and they're caught right on camera. So that camera has illustrated the problems that we have with the Internet and the dangers.

Not coincidentally, June is also the month many of our children leave school for 3 months of vacation and recreation. So we need to raise awareness of the danger to our children, to our parents, and that's why June is an appropriate time for National Internet Safety Month.

With less time in the classroom, these children spend more time obviously on computers. Parents are the first and most effective defense protecting our Nation's children. Most of us here in Congress are working parents. Our children are back in the district. We know we cannot look over them all the time, and perhaps the spouse is working also. So while we can't look over our children's shoulder every hour of the day, we certainly should put in place the software and the protection in our computer, as well as awareness of the child, of the insidious nature of the Internet and the evil people that are out there that are stalking our children.

So this resolution is meant to bring attention to the Internet dangers of cyberstalking, cyberbullying and cyberchild predators. In conjunction with our efforts, a number of organizations, both private and government, have launched public awareness campaigns with information related to National Internet Safety Month. I applaud the efforts of the multiple online safety organizations, industry-wide, and the Department of Justice's National Criminal Justice Reference Service for their efforts, and I think the American public should be aware that the National Criminal Justice Reference Service is available through the Department of Justice, and you can go online to the Department of Justice to find out more about this service.

The dangers of the Internet exist year-round and require vigilance in our defense year-round. At the same time, it is important for us to send a strong reminder to parents and children of the very threats of the Internet as our children begin their summer vacations and have more free, often unsupervised, time to explore cyberspace.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time,

Mr. Speaker, I just want to commend the gentlelady for her statistics that she brings forward. I think many of us, when you hear 1 in 25, that doesn't sound too bad, but that one person out of 25 could be your son or daughter, and it would be a tragedy. The statistics bring home to all of us, particularly people that have seen our children grow up and use the Internet.

I would also suggest that she make available to all Members a copy of that bookmark. I think that bookmark is a terrific idea, and I think a lot of Members who have young children certainly could use that bookmark back in their district. Again, I think what she is doing is very important.

In the committee that I am ranking member of, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, we have passed out of the subcommittee, the full committee, and in the House recently, the spyware bill, H.R. 964. This bill obviously is about spyware that's used to penetrate your computer and to find out different pieces of information about what you are doing that can be used for cyberstalking.

I want to applaud the House for voting overwhelmingly. I think it was over 360 Members voted for spyware. I urge the Senate to pass the spyware bill and bring it to conference, so that we can get it to the President's desk.

This would go also towards preventing the cyberstalking, some of the things we see here, and which we are seeking with Internet Safety Month.

Again, I thank the gentlelady for her efforts here.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my bill, H.R. 3461, The Safeguarding America's Families by Enhancing and Reorganizing New and Efficient Technologies Act or SAFER NET. I want to thank Chairman Dingell and Chairman Rush for their help in bringing this bill to the floor today. I also to thank Congressman Baron Hill, the lead cosponsor of this bill, and Congresswoman Mary Bono for her contributions to this legislation.

The Internet is a wonderful resource for our children. Over 90 percent of school age children use the Internet on a regular basis. They use it to expand their knowledge beyond what they can learn in the classroom and use it to stay connected with their friends when not at school.

The Internet has increased productivity and opened new opportunities to our children, but while doing so, it has created new threats. These threats whether it be unwanted online solicitations, Internet scams, or cyber-bullying are dangerous and real.

In order for our children to be protected from the dangers of the Internet, we must work together to raise awareness and educate them about Internet safety. As noted in a study conducted by the National Assessment Center:

41 percent of middle and high school students do not share with their parents what they do on the Internet.

61 percent of students admit to using the Internet unsafely or inappropriately.

And of most concern, 20 percent of middle school and high school students have met face-to-face with someone they first met online.

In recent studies conducted by the Department of Justice in conjunction with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, one in seven children between the ages of 10 and 17 received a sexual solicitation online.

And one in 25 or one per classroom receives an aggressive sexual solicitation when a predator calls them on the phone, sends them gifts, or requests a meeting.

Informing parents is just as important to keep our kids safe online. Unfortunately, approximately half of parents surveyed admit that they do not properly monitor their children's Internet activity and do not use filter, blocking, or monitoring software on their home computers.

Parents need to be engaged and ask their children what they are doing online. Unfortunately, nearly half of parents surveyed do not believe that they are able to properly monitor their children's actions online.

As a parent, you wouldn't let your son or daughter play with a friend without knowing who was in charge and where they would be playing. The same should be the case with the Internet. The Internet is a large virtual playground and just like on the playground at the park, kids need to be supervised.

Fortunately, our schools, non-profits, local, state, and federal governments, and concerned corporate citizens have been actively engaging children on Internet safety. Programs vary but all emphasize the importance of protecting personal information, keeping parents informed of Internet actions, and being careful who you talk to online.

Although these resources are great, not enough kids and parents are aware of them. Internet safety is an issue of national importance that deserves a national response.

That is why passing The SAFER NET Act today is so important.

The SAFER NET Act would authorize $5 million for the Federal Trade Commission to conduct a national public awareness campaign to promote Internet Safety.

In addition, the bill will direct the Federal Trade Commission to build on the efforts of its Onguard Online website so it can better serve as a virtual clearinghouse of Internet safety information.

Finally the SAFER NET Act would establish a working group through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to review and evaluate industry efforts to promote online safety and protect children from inappropriate material online.

In closing, I want to thank the staff on the Energy & Commerce Committee, J.D. Grom on my staff, and Nathan Fenstermacher who previously served in my office and helped draft the original SAFER NET Act last Congress for their assistance.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3461.