Congressman Gerry Connolly’s amendment to protect children and young adults from online predators and other cyber-crimes passed the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act to improve internet and computer safeguards in the private and public sectors.

The Connolly amendment passed 414-4 in the House with strong bipartisan support.  The larger bill, including the Connolly amendment, passed the House by a vote of 422-5.

“It is critical that we reach children at a young age in the classroom so they develop a healthy sense of caution as we instruct them about the wonders of technology,” Connolly said.  “The threat to children from online predators and child pornography is very real.”

“Children and young adults are by far the largest consumers of new media and technology, yet, in many cases, they also are the most naïve when it comes to taking basic safety precautions when using these innovations,” Connolly said.  “While children and young adults are among the more savvy users of technology, I fear they do not fully grasp the permanence of their actions when they post on Facebook, blog, use Twitter, or put videos on YouTube.”

Noting that “technology is a vital part of our everyday lives, particularly for the younger generation,” Connolly said, “67% of pre-school children have used a computer and 23% have used the Internet. Those figures jump even higher once children reach school age as technology has become integrated into classroom curriculum. By the time they reach high school, 97% of children are using computers and 80 percent of them are online on a regular basis.”

Connolly’s amendment and the full Cybersecurity bill received strong support from congressmen on both sides of the aisle.  Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX) called the Connolly amendment “great legislation” and urged other Republicans to vote for it because “while the internet is a great tool for our youth, it also presents vulnerability and a threat to them.”

The overall Cybersecurity Enhancement Act (H.R. 4061) passed by the House on Thursday would establish a strategic plan for federal cybersecurity research and development, strengthen public-private partnerships in the area of cybersecurity, help train the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, improve cybersecurity technical standards, and promote a cybersecurity public awareness campaign.

Connolly’s amendment requires more federal focus on children and the internet.  The amendment also makes sure children and young adults are a primary target audience of public awareness campaigns about the many threats lurking in cyberspace.

On the same day that Connolly’s vote passed the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, Virginia state delegates and state senators from both parties held a press conference in Richmond calling for increased funding to combat online sexual predators.

Passage of the Connolly amendment also came in the same week that the Virginia Congressman accepted the “Hero of the Children Award’ from Childhelp of Virginia for his years of work to help at-risk children in Northern Virginia.

In a related matter, Connolly was successful in securing $190,000 in Recovery Act funds to help maintain and expand law enforcement internet task forces in Northern Virginia that identify online predators and purveyors of child pornography.

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