June 2, 2000 Volume 3, Issue 9

Peyton Knight, Editor

Texas Representative Ron Paul’s bill to prohibit the use of the Social Security number as an all-purpose identifier is beginning to move forward in the House. Ways and Means subcommittee chairman Clay Shaw held hearings May 18^th on Paul’s "Freedom and Privacy Restoration Act (H.R. 220). The bill forbids federal or state governments from using the Social Security number for purposes not directly related to administering the Social Security system. The bill now has 35 co-sponsors.

As Rep. Paul explained to the committee, "Government agents have committed most of the major invasions of privacy, from the abuse of the IRS files to the abuse of the FBI by administrations of both parties. This legislation is designed to stop the use of the Social Security number as a national ID number."

Rep. Paul pointed out that the Social Security number has been transformed from an administrative device used to administer the Social Security program into a de facto national ID number. Most people cannot get a job, get married, or open a bank account without a Social Security number.

The Clinton Administration has made numerous moves to use the Social Security number to keep tabs on the nation’s workforce, combine data banks on school children, record travel habits, create data banks on medical care, organize gun registration and control the flow in bank accounts.

Representative Paul is working to put a stop to this invasion of personal privacy in our modern society. To move the bill to the House floor for a vote, Rep. Paul must have more co-sponsors. Your calls, letters and emails are needed!

1. Call your Congressman and ask him to co-sponsor and support H.R. 220, The Freedom and Privacy Restoration Act. Capitol Hill House Switchboard: 202-225-3121

2. Tell your Congressman to continue to oppose H.R. 3429 (Congressman Bill Barrett’s Legal Employment Act), which authorizes federal databases to share information using the Social Security number.

3. Also, tell your Congressman to continue to oppose Rep. Bill McCollum’s H.R.191, which would change the nature of the Social Security card, opening the way for it to become a national ID card.

Encouraging news for property rights advocates! Rep. Don Young’s property-snatching bill, The Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA), has been overwhelmingly rejected by his own state’s Republican Party. Recently, The Republican Party of Alaska adopted a resolution opposing S. 25 (CARA) at its state convention. The resolution demands that the land-grabbing bill be amended to reflect principles of individual liberty and the freedom to own property.

S. 25, in essence, would create a massive billion-dollar annual trust fund for the Federal government to use for land acquisition. Although CARA passed in the House, there was a strong core of opposition to it. Now, our inside sources tell us that there is a good chance that CARA will die a rightful death in the Senate. But your Senator needs to know how strongly you oppose this destructive piece of legislation!

1. Call both of your Senators and let them know you’re adamantly opposed to S. 25! Capitol Hill Senate Switchboard (202) 224-3121.

2. Call Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Sen. Frank Murkowski (202-224-6665) and voice your opposition to CARA.

Two extremely important privacy amendments to S. 2107, The Competitive Market Supervision Act, have been introduced by Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL). This bill will be voted on in the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on June 5^th, so the time to act is now!

The first provision is the Medical Privacy Amendment. It would require your bank or financial institution to obtain your consent prior to requesting health information about you from third parties. Most banks seek this sensitive medical information in order to comply with "know your customer" regulations and help them decide which financial plans they will or will not offer their clients.

The second is the Freedom from Behavioral Profiling Amendment. This would stop banks and financial institutions from building your behavioral, psychological profile based on your most private spending habits—without your consent.

As you can see, these amendments are vital to protecting YOUR right to privacy as a financial customer!

Sen. Phil Gramm (R-TX); Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) ; Sen. Connie Mack (R-FL); Sen. Rod Grams (R-MN); Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO); Sen. Michael Enzi (R-WY); Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE); Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA); Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY); Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID); Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-MD); Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT); Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) ; Sen. Richard Bryan (D-NV); Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD); Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI); Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY); Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN); Sen. John Edwards (D-NC)