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Texas Adopts Privacy Guidelines
by Liza Porteus
Texas Gov. Rick Perry has signed into law a bill establishing a state privacy policy as the June 17 deadline for him to approve or veto bills passed.
Reps. Brian McCall and Steven Wolens authored the privacy measure, H.B. 1922. McCall had commissioned a study on state privacy policies, and it served as the platform for development of the legislation.
The state's new privacy policy includes: the right of citizens to be informed about what state agencies do with their personal information; clear and conspicuous notice of each agency's privacy policy on its Web site or in paper form; the right of citizens to access most information that is collected about them; and a requirement that each state agency establish a "reasonable procedure" for citizens to have inaccurate information corrected.
Under the law, the lieutenant governor and state House Speaker also will appoint a privacy task force to study the proper relationship between state and federal laws in creating privacy protections. The group also will analyze federal laws, regulations and practices that affect or could serve as a model for state government or commercial privacy practices and recommend legislation based on that assessment.
The law requires each state governmental body to comply with the new privacy guidelines before Jan. 1, and the task force must complete its report by Sept. 1, 2002.
Perry also signed a bill, H.B. 1845, to simplify the state sales-tax process, joining the ranks of other states that have endorsed simplification models offered by the National Conference of State Legislatures or the Streamlined Sales Tax Project, or a combination of both.
The Texas law officially recognizes the legislature's determination that a simplified sales- and use-tax system will reduce and, over time, eliminate the burden of costs of all vendors to collect the state's taxes. The legislature also decided that Texas should participate in multi-state discussions to review or amend the model legislation, which seeks to reduce the compliance burdens of sales and use taxes for retailers in all types of commerce.
The statute authorizes the state comptroller to participate in negotiations with other states to simplify tax-collection systems and creates guidelines for what a final agreement should entail.
Perry also signed other tech-related bills in the past week, including:
- H.B. 99, which requires all drug companies selling pharmaceuticals over the Web to link to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy's site.
- H.B. 59, which allows the secretary of state to make a guide with information on political candidates available on the Internet.
- S.B. 917, which allows the aggregation of property losses in determining the punishment breaches of computer security.
- S.B. 1345, which allows for the use of evidence derived from electronic interception of messages, such as via pen registers and trap and trace devices, to be used in an investigation.
- H.B. 2914, which gives the state comptroller the right to accept or reject recommendations from the state Information Resources Department or the Texas State Library and Archives Commission on state agencies' use of electronic records and e-signatures.
- H.B. 1981, which allows electronic procurement in counties that adopt rules to ensure the identification, security and confidentiality of electronic bids or proposals.
California Discloses Campaign Finances Online
This month, California Secretary of State Bill Jones submitted a status report to the California Legislature on implementation of a law requiring the electronic filing and Internet disclosure of virtually all state campaign finance and lobbying reports.
The law required the secretary of state to submit a status report on implementation of the program, which is called CAL-ACCESS, by June 1. Jones' office also provided a copy to the California Voter Foundation.
The report highlighted the lack of free software for filers to use to comply with the mandate. The legislature is now considering a bill, A.B. 696, that would provide some form of free software.
Jones also is requesting additional funding for improvements to CAL-ACCESS. His report notes that the passage of Proposition 34, a new campaign finance law that includes changes to the disclosure rules, will "require a major revamping of the CAL-ACCESS filing system."
Pennsylvania Pursues Money For 'Digital School Districts'
The Pennsylvania Education Department is urging its school districts to apply for federal grants as part of the U.S. Education Department's program of community technology centers. The federal Education Department announced the grants May 31, and local school districts have until July 16 to apply.
The federal program's goal is to promote the use of educational technology in economically distressed urban and rural communities. About 70 school districts in Pennsylvania submitted proposals to state officials to create "digital school districts," and state officials said in an e-mail alert that the federal grants "may be an excellent source of funding to complete your digital school district goals."
The state effort is a competition designed to select and fund new educational models enabled by technology. Pennsylvania is investing about $10 million over two years to create model digital school districts that will serve as resource and demonstration centers, providing tangible examples of how technology can improve education, achieve cost savings and deliver education.
Telecom Workshop To Address 'Convergence'
A workshop for local and state regulators and cable and telephone industry professionals in Madison, Wis., on Thursday and Friday will feature a session on local regulation of telecommunications convergence.
Panelists will discuss whether calls for "open access" to high-speed Internet services will make cable modems a regulatory battleground and whether cable operations will begin to offer local telephony in many markets. A second session will focus on cable franchises and how the underlying regulatory framework for cable TV remains intact.
Presenters will include: Patricia Andrews-Keenans, vice president of communications for AT&T Broadband in the Greater Chicago market; Stephen Heins, director of marketing for NorthNet and a representative of Internet service providers in the AOL Time Warner merger discussions; and Richard Jennings, vice president and general manager for Time Warner.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors' annual meeting also begins Friday in Detroit. It will focus on workforce training, the "digital divide" and the economics fueling cities.
The conference will feature speakers and panelists such as: President Bush, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Education Undersecretary Eugene Hickok; Lenita Jacobs Simons, the deputy assistant labor secretary for employment; Michigan Gov. John Engler; Michigan Sen. Carl Levin; and House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri.
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