23 May 1998 Source: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aaces002.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Congressional Record: May 21, 1998 (Senate)] [Page S5322-S5333] From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:cr21my98-153] STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS [Excerpt] By Mr. ABRAHAM (for himself, Mr. Wyden, Mr. McCain, and Mr. Reed): S. 2107. A bill to enhance electronic commerce by promoting the reliability and integrity of commercial transactions through establishing authentication standards for electronic communications, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. ELECTRONIC COMMERCE ENHANCEMENT ACT Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, today with Senators Wyden, McCain, and Reed I introduce the Electronic Commerce Enhancement Act. This legislation will bring the federal government into the electronic age, in the process saving American individuals and companies millions of dollars and hundreds of hours currently wasted on government paperwork. Mr. President, the Electronic Commerce Enhancement Act would require federal agencies to make versions of their forms available online and allow people to submit these forms with digital signatures instead of handwritten ones. It also sets up a process by which commercially developed digital signatures can be used in submitting forms to the government and permits the digital storage of federal documents. Each and every year, Mr. President, Americans spend in excess of $600 billion simply filling out, documenting and handling government paperwork. This huge loss of time and money constitutes a significant drain on our economy and we must bring it under control. That is why we need this legislation. By providing individuals and companies with the option of electronic filing and storage, this bill will reduce the paperwork burden imposed by government on the American people and the American economy. It will allow people to move from printed forms they must fill out using typewriters or handwriting to digitally-based forms that can be filled out using a word processor. The savings in time, storage and postage will be enormous. One company, computer maker Hewlett-Packard, estimates that the section of this bill permitting companies to download copies of regulatory forms to be filed and stored digitally rather than physically will, by itself, save that company $1-2 billion per year. Other companies will experience similar savings, and the results for the overall economy will be enormous. Mr. President, the results for America's small businesses, which bear a disproportionate portion of the paperwork burden, will be enormous and may in some cases spell the difference between business success and failure. Mr. President, the easier and more convenient we make it for American businesses to comply with paperwork [[Page S5324]] and reporting requirements, the better job they will do of meeting these requirements, and the better job they will do of creating jobs and wealth for our country. This legislation will help businesses and small businesses in particular as they struggle to satisfy Washington bureaucrats while retaining sufficient resources to satisfy their customers and meet their payrolls. The most important benefit of this legislation, however, lies in the area of electronic innovation. Currently, digital encryption is in a relatively undeveloped state. One reason for that is the lack of opportunity for many individuals and companies to make use of the technology. Another is the lack of a set industry standard. By allowing use of this technology in the filling out of government paperwork, and by establishing a standard for digital encryption, the federal government can open the gates to quick, efficient development of this technology, as well as its more application throughout the economy. The benefits to American businesses as they struggle to establish paper- free workplaces that will lower administrative costs, will be significant, and will further spur our national economy. Efficiency in the federal government itself will also be enhanced by this legislation. By forcing government bureaucracies to enter the digital information age we will force them to streamline their procedures and enhance their ability to maintain accurate, accessible records. This should result in significant cost savings for the federal government as well as increased efficiency and enhanced customer service. The information age is no longer new, Mr. President. We are in the midst of a revolution in the way people do business and maintain records. This legislation will force Washington to catch up with these developments, and release our businesses from the drag of an obsolete bureaucracy as they pursue further innovations. The result will be a nation and a people that is more prosperous, more free and more able to spend time on more rewarding pursuits. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation. ____________________ ------------------------------------------------- [Congressional Record: May 21, 1998 (House)] [Page H3640-H3646] From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:cr21my98-67] Mr. SOLOMON. Well, we do not have to worry about that part of the resolve clause, about whether there are documents there dealing with national security. The gentleman knows, nobody stands up here more for national security than I do. I am blocking an encryption bill that would expose our ability to track terrorism, communists and people that would bring down this government. So do not come over here and say we have a question about national security. There is no evidence of that. We want the President to come forward and give the answers. I salute the gentleman.