CNET News ~ Spending bill passes House

21 Oct 98 15:26:49 +1100

Hi Linkers

A story on CNET News this morning FYI.

David
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Spending bill passes House
By Kurt Oeler Staff Writer, CNET News.com
October 20, 1998, 6:50 p.m. PT
URL: http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,27767,00.html

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a last-minute, _500 
billion spending bill for fiscal 1999 that includes several technology 
industry-backed provisions as well as controversial Net content regulations.

The "omnibus" spending bill, which provides for 8 of 13 federal departments, 
includes the Workforce Improvement and Protection Act to increase the number 
of visas for skilled foreign workers, the Internet Tax Freedom Act, which 
establishes a national three-year moratorium on "discriminatory" taxes, and 
the Government Paperwork Elimination Act, which will make it possible to use 
electronic signatures for federal forms submitted via the Net.

It also includes the Child Online Protection Act, which calls for commercial 
Web site operators who offer "harmful" material to check visitors' 
identifications or face fines and prison. Civil liberties groups believe 
this to be unconstitutional, and have threatened to file a lawsuit as soon 
President Clinton signs the spending authorization into law.

The House passed the measure by 333 to 95, despite complaints that the bill 
was hurriedly assembled and contained too many last-minute additions. Each 
of the four Net bills were in fact added during the end-of-the-term rush, 
although three other high-tech bills (the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 
the Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act, and the Child Protection 
and Sexual Predator Punishment Act) made it through Congress on their own 
and currently await the president's signature.

The Senate is scheduled to take up the omnibus bill tomorrow. President 
Clinton, who is expected to sign quickly to ensure the government doesn't 
run out of money. The federal government has relied on consecutive 
short-term spending measures since the start of the fiscal year on October 
1. The most recent continuing resolution is to expire tomorrow.

email:     david.goldstein@aba.gov.au
phone:    +61 2 9334 7938     fax:     +61 2 9334 7799
URL:        http://www.aba.gov.au
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