Political Quotes

“we should not second-guess the unanimous position of every expert who testified on this issue. We should not second guess the unanimous decision of the subcommittee and full committee against requiring prior written consent. In the absence of any new evidence. we should support the unanimous committee position against requiring written consent. The existing prior consent requirement in H.R. 1271 will give all parents the ability to prevent their children's participation in Federal surveys. As the committee report makes clear, H.R. 1271 requires active consent from a parent or guardian. The consent can be handled in various ways, including in writing. Moreover, mere notice of a survey is not enough to satisfy the consent requirement. Consent must involve both disclosure and the opportunity to decline. The amendment also lifts the $500.00 cap on monetary damages for violations of this bill. Lifting this cap would be an open invitation for frivolous litigation. Lawyers would have a field day with this bill. For example, H.R. 1271 covers surveys involving 'antisocial behavior.' Yet, the bill has no definition of what constitutes 'antisocial behavior.' It is not hard to imagine multimillion dollar cases for psychological injury because a particular survey covered antisocial behavior.”