[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 100 (Wednesday, June 30, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H5279-H5280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORTING DESIGNATION OF NATIONAL ESIGN DAY
Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 290) expressing support for
designation of June 30 as ``National ESIGN Day''.
The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:
H. Con. Res. 290
Whereas the Electronic Signatures in Global and National
Commerce Act (ESIGN) was enacted on June 30, 2000, to ensure
that a signature, contract, or other record relating to a
transaction may not be denied legal effect, validity, or
enforceability solely because it is in electronic form;
Whereas Congress directed the Secretary of Commerce to take
all actions necessary to eliminate or reduce, to the maximum
extent possible, the impediments to commerce in electronic
signatures, for the purpose of facilitating the development
of interstate and foreign commerce; and
Whereas June 30, 2010, marks the 10th anniversary of the
enactment of ESIGN and would be an appropriate date to
designate as ``National ESIGN Day'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That Congress--
(1) supports the designation of a ``National ESIGN Day'';
(2) recognizes the previous contribution made by Congress
to the adoption of modern solutions that keep the United
States on the leading technological edge; and
(3) reaffirms its commitment to facilitating interstate and
foreign commerce in an increasingly digital world.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. McDermott) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Shimkus) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington.
General Leave
Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material in the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Washington?
There was no objection.
{time} 2050
Mr. McDERMOTT. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the
signing of the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce
Act, the ESIGN bill, a landmark piece of legislation that has
transformed how we conduct interstate commerce and business. The advent
of e-signatures has brought enormous benefit to both consumers and
businesses alike by drastically improving convenience, reducing costs,
and increasing the speed of transactions.
As many of you know, I represent Seattle, which is one of the most
wired and high-tech cities in the world. ESIGN has greatly improved the
ability of companies in my district to be more effective and
competitive in the global marketplace.
I would especially like to acknowledge Seattle-based electronic
signature platform provider DocuSign for being a leader in the
electronic signatures and records industry and for helping spearhead
the coalition to recognize June 30 as National ESIGN Day.
DocuSign recognizes that the benefits of e-commerce extend beyond the
dollar values that are placed on business activity. With over 30,000
current customers and having served over 4.5 million people to date,
DocuSign provides its customers with confidence in the integrity and
credibility of emerging electronic capabilities. They have been a
leader in removing obstacles and barriers to business transactions
online and in allowing their customers to work faster, more reliably,
and more securely.
It is important we recognize the foresight and vision of those who
worked so hard to pass ESIGN 10 years ago, including Congresswoman Anna
Eshoo and Congressman Jay Inslee. The passage of that bill has helped
more American companies to operate globally, and it has helped to
increase productivity and efficiency for consumers, businesses, and
governments.
When President Clinton signed the bill into law in June 2000, he
said, ``Just imagine if this had existed 224 years ago. The Founding
Fathers wouldn't have had to come all the way to Philadelphia on July 4
for the Declaration of Independence. They could have emailed their John
Hancocks in.''
Now, 10 years later, that is what businesses and governments in every
corner of the globe are able to do--instantly complete transactions
that used to take days.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SHIMKUS. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
It is great to be down here with my colleague Mr. McDermott. Usually,
I don't like resolutions, you know, but he approached me on the floor.
This is a really important one, and I think it is important to go back
over the history of what we did 10 years ago.
Mr. Speaker, everything was paper. You had to have paper copies. You
couldn't do bank transactions. You couldn't do certifications. You
couldn't do business documentation.
My colleague mentioned Anna Eshoo, who is a great friend of mine on
the committee. Jay Inslee is also a great friend of mine on the
committee. I serve on the Energy and Commerce Committee. I've been on
the Telecommunications Subcommittee. I think credit goes to Chairman
Bliley, and I think credit goes to Billy Tauzin. The great thing about
Energy and Commerce is a lot of the issues that we address cut across
partisan lines, especially on the Technology Subcommittee.
So the signing of this bill really helped, as my colleague said, and
it really changed the way we can conduct business in the new digital
age. It is really a great credit, and it does merit taking the time to
think back on those folks who pushed for this, in a bipartisan
resolution and through both Chambers, in order to get the bill signed
into law.
I am sure there was opposition by Members in both parties. In fact, I
know one famous Democrat on the committee who wasn't an original
supporter of this. So the fact that Chairman Bliley and Billy Tauzin,
as the chairmen of the subcommittee and the full committee, were all
engaged in support shows what we can do when we work together.
The Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, ESIGN,
represents a critical step in harmonizing the world's global commerce
and contract law with a modern electronic and increasingly Internet-
dependent world. This happened during the 106th Congress. It was my
second Congress. I came in during the 105th.
[[Page H5280]]
I think the other important information is with other digital e-
commerce issues that we are approaching and discussing. We are
discussing one in the committee now, which is the 21st century access
to disabilities, which is trying to make sure that the digital age
doesn't leave the disability community behind.
So the question that we faced in the committee today was: How much do
we make sure that we set the standards but that we don't dictate
technology? Because, if we dictate technology, we disincentivize the
folks who are the smarts behind this new age.
What we did on ESIGN was to say, Here are the standards. You smart
people figure it out. Make sure that privacy is protected. Make sure
that you can continue to keep data if people want hard copies. The
other thing we allowed was for the consumers to choose. If people
wanted to try this new venue, it was pretty scary. Can you imagine
going on the Internet 10 years ago and saying, ``I'm going to buy a
pair of tennis shoes, and I'm going to put my credit card number on the
computer, and they're going to mail me this stuff, and it's all going
to work out''? It was pretty scary. People do it all the time now, but
you know what? If you want to go down to the store and pay cash for
those shoes, you can still do it.
So the benefit of what we did was to say let the consumers choose.
Also, the benefit of what we did was to say give the business community
the standards. Don't try to squeeze them into a one-size-fits-all
method. Let the great innovative minds--many of them are in my
colleague's State of Washington State--really make this stuff work.
I've been on the Energy and Commerce Committee for, fortunately, my
14 years in Congress, and I've been on the Telecommunications
Subcommittee. I should be an expert. I still don't understand it. I
still don't understand how it all works, but I know that there are
smart enough people who can make it work, and this is a perfect
example. This 10-year anniversary, in essence, is a tremendous success
story. I have a 17-year-old, a 15-year-old and a 10-year-old. They are
growing up in an age where they don't know any other way of doing
transactions and of doing business than what we did 10 years ago.
Jim, I appreciate your effort. I appreciate your coming to me on the
floor. Like I said, I'm not a big resolution guy, but I thought this
was one worthy of sitting back and of focusing on what we did in the
hopes, as we move forward on other high-tech issues, that we will set
the guidelines but that we will let the really smart innovators figure
out how it can be done.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 290.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not
present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.
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