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Deep In The Heart Of Texas Privacy
Although federal lawmakers have attempted to strengthen privacy protections, some Texas state lawmakers say such limited steps just are not enough.
Republican state Sen. Jane Nelson has introduced several privacy measures. Before this session, then-Gov. George W. Bush had an e-government task force that looked briefly at the privacy issue, and so did the state comptroller, "but that's not enough ... so we're putting it back under the microscope," said Nelson spokesman Dave Nelson.
The Senate passed one Nelson bill, S.B. 11, at the end of March. That measure would prevent the release of medical information without a patient's consent. The bill is now awaiting a hearing in the House Public Health Committee.
Nelson also sponsored two other measures. The Senate has passed both bills, which now are awaiting action in the House State Affairs Committee.
The Senate committee broadened Nelson's bill, S.B. 866. The current version would recognize that each state government entity must protect personal information, and it would require them to establish rules on when and how the information can be used.
S.B. 867 would require the lieutenant governor and state House speaker to establish a joint interim task force to study privacy issues. The bill also would require the naming of an advisory committee to the task force that would include members who understand the implications that advances in information technology have for personal privacy. The measure would require the task force to analyze existing and proposed privacy rules in Texas, other states and at the federal level.
"It's definitely an emerging issue," said Dave Nelson. "It seems to be becoming more mainstream" in state legislatures.
Other proposed privacy bills before the Texas legislature include S.B. 712, which would require insurers and other entities regulated by the Texas Department of Insurance to comply with privacy requirements of a 1999 financial services law. H.B. 1922, meanwhile, would require state agencies to disclose to people whatever information they collect about them. And H.J.R. 15 would recognize a right to personal privacy unless a compelling state interest is shown.
Maryland Passes Worker Training Bills
The Maryland Senate on Monday approved legislation that would grant state income-tax credits for tuition and related expenses for people who take jobs deemed critical to Maryland's economic future. S.B. 455 now awaits the signature of Democratic Gov. Parris Glendening.
"In approving this legislation, Maryland's House and Senate recognize the value of a highly skilled workforce," said Grant Mydland, director of the Technology Workforce Coalition, one of the groups backing the bill. "Not only will it ensure Maryland's bright economic future ... but it also helps maintain America's access to, and supply of, cutting-edge, highly skilled workers."
The measure would create a tax credit of 30 percent for up to $5,000 in qualified tuition and related expenses. It would direct the state labor and commerce departments and the Maryland Higher Education Commission to identify skills that are in high demand but in short supply.
Democratic state Sen. Patrick Hogan, the bill's primary sponsor, told National Journal's Technology Daily that the bill is just "one piece of the many things we've been trying to do as far as job training and workforce development." Hogan said the measure would cost the state about $2.7 million but that the cost would be worth it when, say, someone who earns a Microsoft network engineering certificate works for a sector in need in the state.
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the Maryland High-Tech Council and other businesses also supported the measure.
"This bill also sends a powerful signal to other state legislatures seeking to successfully help their workforces through the high-tech 21st century," Mydland said.
In other Maryland news, federal lawmakers joined together on Tuesday for the groundbreaking of the Computer Sciences Corporation Maryland Technology Center in New Carrollton. Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski spoke at the groundbreaking, which also was attended by Democratic Reps. Steny Hoyer and Albert Wynn, and Prince George's County Executive Wayne Curry, D. The building will house 1,200 nonfederal employees who will develop the complete technology overhaul for the IRS.
Southern Governors To Come To Washington
The Southern Governors' Association will hold its Science Summit of the South in Washington on April 25. Chaired by Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton, D, the event will be sponsored by the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) and the Southern Growth Policies Board.
SURA members Talbot D'Alemberte, president of Florida State University, and Wayne Clough, president of the Georgia Institute of Technology, will join Patton and industry representatives to discuss the current state of science in the South. Allan Bromley, physics professor at Yale University and a one-time science and technology adviser to former President George Bush, will moderate a discussion on creating a vision for the future.
Governors Weigh In On Medical Privacy
The National Governors' Association has submitted its formal comments on medical privacy. In response to the federal government's proposed regulations for medical records, the governors have stressed to federal lawmakers that many states already have similar privacy laws in place.
"While it is certainly preferable that state laws on medical-records privacy not be preempted by federal action, any federal statute, regulation or guideline should represent a minimum standard, or 'floor,' [that] states should be permitted to move beyond to create more stringent privacy standards and best meet the needs of their citizens," the statement reads. "A maximum standard for medical-records privacy will revoke privacy rights previously bestowed upon states' citizens and will prevent states from responding to future medical-records privacy needs."
The governors are calling on Congress to revise the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) that mandated the federal medical privacy rules. The states do not want that law to require them to begin implementing federal rules until they have been finalized, and they want a single, uniform compliance date for all HIPAA regulations that would give states enough time to implement the new federal rules.
Massachusetts Says Goodbye To Cellucci
Massachusetts Gov. Paul Cellucci, R, this week was sworn in as ambassador to Canada, saying it was "the greatest honor of my life to serve as governor of Massachusetts." Lt. Gov. Jane Swift replaced Cellucci, who was elected governor in 1998 and was a strong advocate of smaller government, education reform and lower taxes.
Republican governors this week hailed Cellucci's accomplishments and his future feats. "He has been an invaluable leader as governor," said RGA Chairman, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge. The GOP governors also congratulated Swift on her elevation to the governorship.
- by Liza Porteus
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