Tech Bills On Target In Congress

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February 17, 1999 (11:18 AM EST)

By Mary Mosquera,

Now that Congress' impeachment business is finished, lawmakers can get back to work. But despite the trial to remove President Clinton, lawmakers had already been introducing legislation since they returned last month.

High-tech laws proposed so far in the 106th Congress center on privacy protection and strengthening wireless and satellite communications for increased competition. Most new pieces of legislation are in committee.

In the U.S. House of Representatives:

H.R. 30
Financial Information Privacy Act sponsored by Rep. Jim Leach (R-Iowa). Prevents financial institutions from releasing personal financial information under false pretenses.

H.R.179
Sponsored by Rep. Karen Thurman (D-Fla.). Bill provides a deduction from gross income for year 2000 computer-conversion costs for small businesses.

H.R. 313
Consumer Internet Privacy Protection Act sponsored by Rep. Bruce Vento (D-Minn.). Regulates use of subscribers' personally identifiable information by interactive computer services.

H.R. 354
Collections of Information Anti-Piracy Act sponsored by Rep. Howard Coble (R-N.C.). Establishes copyright protection for owners of electronic-information collections.

H.R. 367
Social Security Online Privacy Protection Act sponsored by Rep. Bob Franks (R-N.J.). Limits disclosure of social security numbers by interactive computer services.

H.R. 368
Safe Schools Internet Act sponsored by Rep. Bob Franks (R-N.J.). Requires schools and libraries to install filtering software.

H.R. 369
Children's Privacy Protection and Parental Empowerment Act sponsored by Rep. Bob Franks (R-N.J.). Prohibits sale of personal information about children with parents' consent.

H.R. 391
Small Business Paperwork Reduction Act sponsored by Rep. David McIntosh. Lets small businesses file federal paperwork electronically.

H.R. 438
Wireless Communication and Public Safety Act sponsored by Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.). Solidifies "911" as the universal emergency number for wireless communications.

H.R. 514
Wireless Privacy Enhancement Act sponsored by Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.). Improves privacy while using wireless communications and makes it more difficult to intercept and eavesdrop on wireless phone calls.

H.R. 575
American Financial Institutions Privacy Act sponsored by Rep. Richard Baker (R-La.). Studies impact on consumer privacy of banks' "Know Your Customer" rule that increases financial institution's monitoring of accounts and reporting of unusual transactions. Rule aimed at money-launderers, but bank regulators received 14,000 e-mail messages concerned about its effect on privacy.

H.R. 727
Amendment to Communications Act of 1934, sponsored by Rep. Ron Klink (D-Pa.), to provide stable funding for federal support of universal telecommunications services through the creation of a Telecommunications Trust Fund.

In the U.S. Senate:

S.58
Amendment to Communications Act of 1934, sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), to protect against telephone service "slamming" and telephone billing "cramming," to provide the Federal Trade Commission jurisdiction over unfair and deceptive trade practices of telecommunications carriers.

S. 94
Telephone Excise Tax Repeal sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Scraps 3 percent federal tax on telephone use imposed 100 years ago.

S. 95
Trading Information Act sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Amends Communications Act of 1934 to ensure stock market information is available on television, the Internet, etc. In response to criticism of database anti-piracy legislation.

S. 96
The Y2K Act sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Slade Gorton (R-Wash.) Encourages technology producers to work with consumers to solve year 2000 noncompliance problems. Will compensate actual losses and ensure that courts do not unfairly punish those who made good-faith efforts to fix technology failure.

S.97
Children's Internet Protection Act sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.). Protects children from sexually explicit material by requiring use of filtering technology when they access the Internet at school and libraries.

S. 187
Financial Information Privacy Act sponsored by Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.). Requires Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to set privacy rules giving customers notice and choice about how their financial institutions share or sell personally identifiable information.

S. 247
Amendment to U.S. Code on copyright law sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). Lets satellite providers broadcast local programming.

S. 296
Federal Research Investment Act sponsored by Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.). Encourages doubling current funding levels for basic scientific, medical, and engineering research.

S. 303
Amendment to Communications Act of 1934, sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), to encourage direct-broadcast satellite and other multichannel-video providers to compete with cable-television systems.

S. 314
Small Business Year 2000 Readiness Act sponsored by Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond (R-Mo.). Extends loans to small businesses to help fix Y2K problems.

S.328
Permanent Ban On Internet Taxes sponsored by Sen. Bob Smith (R-N.H.). Makes permanent the present three-year moratorium on Internet taxes.

S. 376
Amendment to Communications Satellite Act of 1962, sponsored by Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), to promote competition and privatization in satellite communications.

S.403
A bill to prohibit implementation of "Know Your Customer" regulations (see above in House) by the Federal banking agencies. Sponsored by Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.).