Political Quotes

“H.R. 1271 as it now stands unamended, is a good bill that is intended to protect the privacy of families, by requiring parental consent for certain types of information asked of minors in federally funded surveys. Similar language was passed last year by the Goals 2000: Educate America Act for most programs administered by the Department of Education. I believe we can all agree that parents have a vital role to play in research involving children. Standard practice for most social science research today requires some form of parental consent before interviewing minors. This bill would standardize that practice for the Federal Government. Several technical issues were raised during the subcommittee hearing on the bill. These drafting problems could have created the unintended consequences of hampering legitimate inquiry into child abuse, and jeopardizing important areas of Federal research. I am pleased that we were able to clarify these drafting issues to everyone's satisfaction. Mr. Chairman, H.R. 1271 was reported by our committee, as amended, by a unanimous vote. It is a good bill as it now stands, and should be supported without amendment.”