[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 52 (Thursday, April 15, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H2059-H2060]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    PERSONAL INFORMATION PRIVACY ACT

  (Mr. KLECZKA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KLECZKA. Madam Speaker, information on the most personal aspects 
of our lives continues to be spread across the landscape. Once taken 
for granted, our wall of privacy is steadily crumbling.
  Today I am reintroducing the Personal Privacy Information Act. This 
legislation attempts to restore some control over the use of our 
personal information. The bill prevents credit bureaus from giving out 
social security numbers, and prohibits the sale of any information that 
includes anyone's social security number unless they have written 
consent to do so.
  A merchant who requires a social security number on a check used for 
a purchase or a cable company who demands a social security number on 
an application for service will be prohibited from doing so.
  Further, this bill prohibits any State Department of Motor Vehicles 
from selling drivers' photographs or drivers lists containing social 
security numbers. Lastly, marketers will not be able to sell consumer 
purchasing experiences or credit transactions without prior approval.
  Madam Speaker, this legislation is designed to curtail the rampant 
invasion of our privacy. What we buy and

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where we buy it is no one's business but our own, and the unauthorized 
use and abuse of our social security number must stop. I urge all my 
colleagues to cosponsor and to support this legislation.

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