Asa Hutchinson: “I rise today to address a growing concern in this Nation, and that is the concern that the privacy of Americans is under…”

“I rise today to address a growing concern in this Nation, and that is the concern that the privacy of Americans is under attack. With the explosion of the Internet, changes in financial and medical laws and an increasingly intrusive Federal Government, people's personal information seems to be collected, sold, and transferred without adequate protections. Madam Speaker, Congress must be engaged on this issue. In the last Congress, 250 of my colleagues joined me in supporting a bill establishing a historic commission that would have studied the protection of an individual's privacy. This would be the first such commission in 25 years. Now that the 107th Congress has begun, our agenda is very full; but the protection of the individual privacy remains one of the most important issues that we could address. Several bills have been introduced. They should be considered. I encourage Congress to take up privacy legislation, but I believe it should be done in a responsible manner that allows for the appropriate flow of information without compromising the privacy of individuals. I believe a privacy commission is the right way to address this very important subject.”