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Stating Their Tech Agendas
It all comes down to polling. Most people don't list privacy as a top personal concern, but when asked if they agree with protection provisions, almost all answer yes, according to Bill Walsh, a spokesman for the Minnesota House Republican Caucus. And that's why the citizens of the North Star State could be gearing up to see a lot more discussion on privacy as the state enters this year's legislative session.
A handful of states returned to legislative duty this week after the winter break, and for many legislators, the looming elections will take the front-seat. Analysts say that while most technology-related issues might get relegated to the backburner, those that resonate with voters, such as privacy, could get major play this year. Walsh said that with polling figures indicating that a clear majority of voters support proposals offering tight protections on personal information, "both teams," Democrats and Republicans, would target the topic. "We see this issue as one of four main issues that I think will resonate with voters and will be key issues not only in [the legislative] session but with the election cycle," said Karen Louise Boothe, spokeswoman for Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer-Labor party.
Because privacy is an issue that receives bipartisan attention and support, it is likely that an initiative will be passed in Minnesota, he said. The Republicans are gearing up for the fight and released a "Privacy Bill of Rights" last week that will be translated into legislative initiatives for 2000. Specific proposals include prohibiting government agencies from selling their lists, prohibiting Internet service providers from selling "highly personal information" such as users' purchasing patterns and visits to specific sites, and requiring pornography content providers located in Minnesota to display a warning page before users are allowed to enter the site.
Privacy still might not get too much play in the state elections, Walsh concedes. "We'll pass a new tax cut, and we're going to run on that," he said. And if a deal is reached in the legislature, it might be a non-issue, with neither side able to run attack-ads or generate other media slamming the other's reluctance to protect personal privacy.
The State Of Things To Come
Minnesota isn't the only state balancing the start of the legislative session with the election cycle. Governors have begun unveiling their "State of the State" addresses and budget proposals, prompting furious debate as legislators return to state capitols. Arizona heads to the start of the year with a brand new report released from the state's Internet study commission. The Joint Legislative Study Committee on Internet Issues, which included legislators and appointed public and private sector representatives, published in late December a foundation for Internet public policy in the state.
In the first weeks of the session, issues such as cybercrime and taxation that were discussed by the committee will begin to pop up in legislation, said committee co-chair Sen. Scott Bundgaard, R. The report highlights cybercrime principles that should be addressed, including suggestions for outlawing identity theft and cyberstalking. It also proposes taxing online sales, but use of the Internet itself should not. Bundgaard said he will focus on preparing Arizona's tax code so that if Congress hands down a mandate to the states after the three-year moratorium on taxes, the code will be ready. But on a grander tax scheme, Bundgaard stressed the importance of organizing the tax code to attract high-tech and knowledge-based businesses. The goal is "to see what we can do in tax policy to keep growth and incentivize…bringing in those types of jobs," he said.
Governor Jane Dee Hull, R, issued her State of the State address this week, stressing the importance of bringing New Economy jobs to the state and setting up a "Partnership for the New Economy" to guide Arizona's foray into the 21st century. "Although Arizona is benefiting from [the surge in high-tech], our share of the high-tech economy could be much greater," Hull said. "A vigorous economy that produces quality jobs and an education system that produces a trained workforce ready to fill those jobs are essential for Arizona's families and children."
That goal is shared by most of the nation's governors, including California's Gray Davis, D, who also gave his State of the State address and unveiled his budget proposal this week. Davis noted that California's standing, with one in five new jobs in the high-tech sector, remains stable. But he pushed research and development and the Digital High School program, which aims to wire every school in the state to the Internet. Davis' budget includes $5 million for the state to match federal and private funds to create "Next Generation Internet" centers for developing new software and applications for the Internet's future and $2.1 million for a grant program to bring e-commerce to the state's rural areas. He said that the coming days would bring additional information on e-government initiatives planned for the state and addressed the concern of many Silicon Valley netizens last year that he had not established an e-mail address.
"For those who have any constructive comments about this speech, I've even got a new e-mail address: graydavis@governor.ca.gov," he said.
Even states without the presence of a Silicon Valley are touting tech. Oregon's legislative session will begin with Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber's announcement of the appointees to the Internet Commission, which will study technology issues ranging from e-commerce and tax policies to spam. In his State of the State address, Colorado's Bill Owens, R, urged the General Assembly to reconsider a bill mandating filtering the Internet at schools, noting that last session's bill did not go far enough in protecting children. He also promised to flesh out his New Century Colorado program, in partnership with the state's Joint Budget Committee, to bring more state government services online and promote e-government. The state also will be a leader in considering identity theft legislation, introduced by Rep. Carl Miller, D. And New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, R, used her State of the State address to highlight a push to usher in high-tech companies with initiatives such as a public-private venture capital fund for tech companies and seven additional business incubators.
The coming days see the start of more legislative sessions, and analysts say they will usher in additional attention to high-tech issues, such as legislation curbing unwanted, bulk, commercial e-mail and protecting consumer privacy. With so many states angling to attract New Economy businesses, Jeff Richards, executive director of the Internet Alliance, said that the new year will generate more tech talk. "This may be the year where states have to join their left hand and the right hand, and have to look at public policy-setting with regard to the Internet and their economic growth and development strategies," he said. "That will require real leadership."
- by Stephanie Lash
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