[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 152 (Friday, November 22, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        E-GOVERNMENT ACT OF 2001

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. STEPHEN HORN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 14, 2002

  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, title V of H.R. 2458 incorporates the text of 
another bill that was recently reported out of the Government Reform 
Committee: H.R. 5212, the ``Confidential Information Protection and 
Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002.'' I wish to thank the gentleman 
from Texas, Mr. Turner, and the gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Davis, for 
including the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical 
Efficiency Act of 2002 in their bill.
  On July 25, 2002, I introduced the Confidential Information 
Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 on behalf of myself, 
as well as the gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Sawyer, and the gentlewoman 
from New York, Mrs. Maloney. The Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, 
Financial Management and Intergovernmental Relations, which I chair, 
held a hearing on the bill on September 17. All witnesses--representing 
the statistical agencies, the Administration and the private sector-
testified in favor of the bill. On the same day, the subcommittee 
approved the bill by voice vote.
  On October 9, the full Committee on Government Reform approved the 
bill by voice vote and ordered it favorably reported. I want to briefly 
summarize this important legislation. The committee report on H.R. 5215 
explains the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical 
Efficiency Act of 2002 in much greater detail.
  Enactment of the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical 
Efficiency Act of 2002 will greatly improve the efficiency and quality 
of Federal statistical activities. Right now, there is much duplication 
of effort among the Federal Government's three principal statistical 
agencies--the Bureau of the Census, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and 
the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Because of their inability to share 
data, they often collect the same data separately. This wastes taxpayer 
dollars and imposes unnecessary burdens on those who supply the data.
  Furthermore, the inability of the agencies to compare the data they 
collect results in major disparities in the reports they issue. For 
example, during the last economic census in 1997, the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics reported payroll data in the information technology sector 
that was 13 percent higher than the data reported by the Census Bureau. 
In addition, there was a 14 percent disparity in the payroll data 
reported by these two agencies for the motor freight, transportation 
and warehousing industries.
  This legislation will allow the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic 
Analysis and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to share business data they 
collect for statistical purposes. This data sharing will substantially 
enhance the accuracy of economic statistics by resolving serious 
reporting inconsistencies such as those that I just mentioned. It will 
also reduce reporting burdens on the businesses that must now supply 
data separately to the individual agencies. I want to emphasize that 
the data sharing applies only to these three agencies, and it only 
applies to business data--not personal data.
  Of equal importance, the bill ensures that the confidential data that 
citizens and businesses provide to federal agencies for statistical 
purposes are subject to uniform and rigorous statutory protections 
against unauthorized use. Currently, confidentiality protections vary 
among agencies and are often not based in law. The bill would provide 
uniformly high confidentiality standards that federal statistical 
agencies must follow. This part of the bill applies to all federal 
statistical agencies--not just the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor 
Statistics and Bureau of Economic Analysis. Furthermore, it covers all 
data that all statistical agencies collect on a confidential basis--
both business and personal data.
  Finally, the bill includes language that will enhance the usefulness 
of statistical data for congressional decision-making. This language 
encourages the statistical agencies to provide the Congressional Budget 
Office with access to statistical data in order to help CBO analyze 
pension and health care financing issues. However, the bill does not 
expand CBO's current legal rights of access to statistical data. Thus, 
it does not permit disclosure of information to CBO in a manner of form 
that would constitute a violation of existing law.
  Mr. Speaker, this worthy legislation has been years in the making. I 
sponsored a similar bill in 1999, but it encountered last minute 
concerns and was not enacted. The current bill resolves those concerns 
as well as all other issues that have been raised. The Administration 
strongly supports it, as do many individuals and organizations in 
industry and academic circles. I am delighted that the bill finally 
will be enacted this year.