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Virginia Panel To Make Tech Suggestions
by Liza Porteus
A Virginia panel assigned to study the state's emergency preparedness is working hard to meet a Nov. 30 deadline for making legislative and policy recommendations to Gov. James Gilmore.
The Preparedness and Security Panel, formed Sept. 25, is divided into seven subcommittees studying preparedness in specific areas, such as utilities, transportation, emergency response and critical technologies. Last week, the Critical Technologies Subcommittee, chaired by Oracle Senior Vice President Len Pomata, gave a presentation on potential vulnerabilities to cyber security and technology.
Wayne Huggins, chairman of the overall panel and president of Omnisec International Investigations, said the meetings are held in executive session because "we don't want to give the bad guys the playbook. It's obvious that our whole society has become dependent on many critical technologies, and we have to do everything we can within reason, our abilities and our resources to provide enough security."
The preparedness panel report to Gilmore will address funding necessities, modifications to state policies and potential procedural changes.
Minnesota Tackles Financial Privacy
Financial privacy will be an issue for the Minnesota legislature when it reconvenes at the end of January. On Tuesday, the state's House Commerce, Jobs and Economic Development Policy Committee met with the Senate Commerce Committee to discuss issues related to the privacy provisions of the 1999 federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley banking law.
"Our biggest concern is [that] we want to make sure the state of Minnesota is in compliance with Gramm-Leach-Bliley," said Rep. Greg Davis, chairman of the House committee. "The issue really seems to be the opt-in, opt-out [debate]. That is really the big issue that seems to get people excited."
Under an opt-out policy, banks could gather and share information on consumers unless the consumers tell the banks otherwise, while an opt-in approach requires banks to have consumer permission beforehand. Attorney General Mike Hatch is expected to introduce an opt-in package when the legislature convenes, Davis said, although a Hatch spokeswoman said that statement was "premature." Hatch has proposed some form of opt-in measure since 1999.
Davis said the insurance industry and others are expected to produce an opt-out package. Gov. Jesse Ventura is "100 percent behind the opt-out" policy, Davis added, and the legislature may follow. "I've got a feeling ... it [legislature] will go with the opt out."
This year, the Minnesota legislature cleared the following technology-related measures:
- S.F. 846, which grants a county attorney or the attorney general access to the communications network of criminal justice data.
- S.F.1068, which establishes privacy protection for information such as taxpayer account details, college loan information and certain business information.
- S.F. 560, which allows healthcare review organizations to share information over the Internet.
- S.F. 773, which authorizes an electronic monitoring study on drunken drivers.
The legislature cleared two other tech-related measures in special session. One expands telecommunications services that are subject to the state sales tax and exempts certain telecom equipment from the tax.
The second measure says a state agency that implements e-government services must use a common Web format. It also establishes a technology enterprise fund for government projects, allows for the e-mail submission of absentee ballots and calls for the elimination of lever-based voting machines. The secretary of state must license one or more touch-sensitive electronic voting systems for experimental use.
EIA Grants E-Cycling Funds
The Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) recently announced that it would award grants as part of its short-term recycling project.
The awards will go to Environmental Protection Agency Region III -- which consists of Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington -- to the state of Florida and to the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC). NERC consists of waste and recycling officials from Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.
In conjunction with Canon, Hewlett-Packard, JVC, Sharp, Sony and Thomson Multimedia, EIA hopes to generate data that will contribute to the development of efficient and cost-effective recycling programs throughout the country. EIA grants must be used to fund the recycling of household electronics equipment or for data collection and assessment. The group received proposals from more than 20 federal, state and local governments and interest groups.
Illinois GOP Touts E-Mail
The Illinois Republican Party is touting e-mail as the best way to contact state and federal lawmakers given the rash of concern over anthrax in the postal system and other possible methods of terrorist attack.
On Tuesday, the state GOP advised constituents to use e-mail when contacting their Washington representatives. "E-mail is the most reliable and convenient way for people to make sure their messages are getting to the right place in Washington right now," said Illinois GOP Chairman Rich Williamson.
Albuquerque Chamber Backs Qwest
The Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce has offered its support for Qwest Communications' bid to offer long-distance telephone service in New Mexico.
The chamber's board approved a position paper last week that supports a petition Qwest filed with the state Public Regulation Commission and the FCC. The petition seeks a waiver from Section 271 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which prevents the Bell regional telephone companies from offering long-distance service until they open their telecom facilities for local phone services to competitors.
New Faces On The State Scene
Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has named Randall Bradford, a senior manager for Dell Computer, to be the state's first chief information officer. The position was created this year. Bradford previously managed the Air Force's largest support officer-training school and later held tech positions with Knowledge Based Systems, PeopleServe and EMC, joining Dell in July 2000.
Meanwhile, Loretta Herrington, the American Legislative Exchange Council's (ALEC) director of the Telecommunications and Information Technology and Trade and Transportation task forces, has become the Labor Department's deputy director of the Women's Bureau.
Policy coordinator Morgan Long will replace Herrington on the telecom task force, and Matt Lathrop has assumed directorship of the trade task force, in addition to directing the Commerce and Economic Development Task Force. ALEC legislative assistant Trevor Martin will serve as the group's new policy coordinator.
In other people news, Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura on Monday named Wendy Underwood to the staff of the governor's Washington office. Underwood has spent the past year as a caseworker in the Citizen Outreach division of the governor's office and worked as a staff assistant for Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle, D-S.D. She also has been canvass director for the Fund for Public Interest Research and works part time for the Minnesota Women's Political Caucus.
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