FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: February 13, 2001Contact: Christian Brill
(202) 225-4301
Reps. Asa Hutchinson, Jim Moran Introduce Privacy Commission Act
Bipartisan Panel Unique In Its Comprehensive, Thoughtful Approach to Privacy
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressmen Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) and Jim Moran (D-VA) today introduced legislation to create a bipartisan Privacy Protection Commission. The Privacy Commission Act, which received a majority vote in the House of Representatives last year, establishes a seventeen member commission to conduct a comprehensive study of privacy issues and make recommendations for action to Congress.
"More than ever, the growing privacy debate in our nation demands thoughtful congressional action," Hutchinson said. "The Hutchinson-Moran Privacy Commission takes a responsible approach to commercial and governmental privacy policy, whether it concerns medical records, financial statements, the gathering of information on the Internet, or the collection and use of personal details by the government."
The Privacy Commission Act creates a broad-reaching commission to examine both public and private initiatives designed to protect personal privacy. After a maximum of 18 months, the commission will recommend whether additional industry or government-specific privacy protection efforts, including legislation, are necessary.
"I am pleased to again join Congressman Hutchinson as a cosponsor of legislation to establish a national commission to examine all facets of privacy protection," Moran said. "Privacy is one of the foremost concerns of the American people. Protecting privacy in a manner that doesn't stunt the growth of electronic commerce is our central policy challenge. The complexity of the privacy issue demands the kind of careful, deliberate approach that is called for in this legislation."
The Hutchinson-Moran Privacy Commission received a 250-146 majority vote in the House of Representatives on October 2, 2000, but it fell fourteen votes short of the two-thirds majority needed for the bill to be approved under the suspension calendar.
"Since the congressional debate on this issue last year, federal medical privacy regulations have been finalized, financial privacy protections have been implemented, and the FBI’s Carnivore wiretapping system has come to light," Hutchinson added. "Congress must take a thoughtful, comprehensive look at these and other privacy initiatives to ensure that the privacy of individuals is balanced with the appropriate flow of information."
The commission consists of seventeen members appointed in a bipartisan fashion: two appointed by the President; four appointed by the majority leader of the Senate; three appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; four appointed by the Speaker of the House; three appointed by the minority leader of the House; and one Chairman appointed jointly by the President, Majority Leader of the Senate and Speaker of the House.
###