[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 139 (Wednesday, October 7, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11691-S11692]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there now be 
a period of morning business with Senators permitted to speak for up to 
5 minutes each.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                  Government Paperwork Elimination Act

  Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about S. 2107, the 
Government Paperwork Elimination Act, a bill I introduced in April 
along with Senators Wyden, McCain and Reed. This bill has been added as 
an amendment to the Internet Tax Freedom Act and I want to thank 
Senators McCain and Hollings and Senator Thompson, for taking the time 
and effort to work with me in advancing this legislation. Without their 
active support and participation, this bill would not have progressed 
as far as it has.
  This bill amends the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 to allow for the 
use of electronic submission of Federal forms to the Federal government 
with the use of an electronic signature within five years from the date 
of enactment. It is intended to bring the federal government into the 
electronic age, in the process saving American individuals and 
companies millions of dollars and hundreds of hours currently wasted on 
government paperwork.
  The bill also includes provisions to protect the private sector and 
ensure a level playing field for companies competing in the development 
of electronic signature technologies. It mandates that regulations 
promulgated by the Office of Management and Budget and the National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration be compatible with 
standards and technologies used commercially. This will ensure that no 
one industry or technology receives favorable consideration.
  The bill also requires Federal agencies to accept multiple methods of 
electronic submission if the agency expects to receive 50,000 or more 
electronic submittals of a particular form. This requirement will 
ensure that no single electronic signature technology is permitted to 
unfairly dominate the market.
  This legislation also takes several steps to help the public feel 
more secure in the use of electronic signatures. If people are going to 
send money or share private information with the government, they must 
be secure in the knowledge that their information and finances are 
adequately protected. For this reason, my bill requires that electronic 
signatures be as reliable as necessary for any given transaction. If a 
person is requesting information of a public nature, a secure 
electronic signature will not be necessary. If, however, an individual 
is submitting forms which contain personal, medical or financial 
information, adequate security is imperative and will be available.
  This is not the only provision providing for personal security, 
however. Senator Leahy joined me to help establish a threshold for 
privacy protection in this bill. The language developed by Senator 
Leahy and I will ensure that information submitted by an individual can 
only be used to facilitate the electronic transfer of information 
unless it has the prior consent of the individual.
  Also included is a provision establishing legal standing for 
electronically submitted documents. Such legal authority is necessary 
to attach the same importance to electronically signed documents as is 
attached to physically signed documents. Without this provision, 
electronic submission of sensitive documents would be impossible.
  Finally, Mr. President the Government Paperwork Elimination Act 
requires that Federal agencies send individuals an electronic 
acknowledgement of their submission when it is received. Such 
acknowledgements are standard when conducting commerce online. A 
similar acknowledgement by Federal agencies will provide piece-of-mind 
for individuals which conduct electronic business with the government.
  As much as individuals will benefit from this legislation, so too 
will American businesses. By providing companies with the option of 
electronic filing and storage, this bill will reduce the paperwork 
burden imposed by government on commerce and the American economy. It 
will allow businesses to move from printed forms they must fill out 
using typewriters or handwriting to digitally-based forms that can be 
filled out using a word processor. The savings in time, storage and 
postage will be enormous. One company, computer maker Hewlett-Packard, 
estimates that the section of this bill permitting companies to 
download copies of regulatory forms to be filed and stored digitally 
rather than physically will, by itself, save that company $1-2 billion 
per year.
  Efficiency in the federal government itself will also be enhanced by 
this legislation. By forcing Government bureaucracies to enter the 
digital information age we will force them to streamline their 
procedures and enhance their ability to maintain accurate, accessible 
records. This should result in significant cost savings for the federal 
government as well as increased efficiency and enhanced customer 
service.
  Each and every year, Mr. President, Americans spend 6.6 billion hours 
simply filling out, documenting and handling government paperwork. This 
huge loss of time and money constitutes a significant drain on our 
economy and we must bring it under control. The easier and more 
convenient we make it for American businesses to comply with paperwork 
and reporting requirements, the better job they will do of meeting 
these requirements, and the better job they will do of creating jobs 
and wealth for our country. That is why we need this legislation.
  The information age is no longer new, Mr. President. We are in the 
midst of a revolution in the way people do business and maintain 
records. This legislation will force Washington to catch up with these 
developments, and

[[Page S11692]]

release our businesses from the drag of an obsolete bureaucracy as they 
pursue further innovations. The result will be a nation and a people 
that is more prosperous, more free and more able to spend time on more 
rewarding pursuits.
  I want to thank my colleagues in the Senate for their support and 
urge the House to support this important legislation.

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