CNET News - Spending bill becomes law

[David.Goldstein@aba.gov.au]

Hi Linkers

FYI from CNET overnight.

David
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Spending bill becomes law
By Courtney Macavinta and Kurt Oeler Staff Writers, CNET News.com
October 21, 1998, 2:25 p.m. PT
URL: http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,27767,00.html

UPDATE President Clinton today signed a _500 billion spending bill for 
fiscal 1999 that includes several technology industry-backed provisions as 
well as controversial Net content regulations.

Despite complaints that the bill was hurriedly assembled and contained too 
many last-minute additions, the House passed the measure by 333 to 95 
yesterday, and the Senate cleared it by a 65 to 29 vote this morning. After 
extending its session by almost a month, the 105th Congress will now 
adjourn.

Although the massive appropriations bill ushered into law a handful of 
provisions pushed by the high-tech lobby, the package also includes the 
controversial Child Online Protection Act, which calls for commercial Web 
site operators who offer "harmful" material to check visitors' 
identifications or face up to _50,000 in fines and six months in prison for 
each violation.

Civil liberties groups believe that section is unconstitutional and will 
hinder adults' right to surf the Net anonymously. As reported, groups such 
as the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, 
and the Electronic Privacy Information Center will file lawsuit tomorrow in 
the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia to challenge what they call the 
Communications Decency Act II. (News.com publisher CNET: The Computer 
Network is set to be a plaintiff as part of the Internet Content Coalition.)

Although the Justice Department warned that the bill would be challenged 
because it is vague and could hinder adult access to constitutionally 
protected speech, President Clinton gave in and signed it as expected 
because the Net content bill is part of the critical legislation to keep the 
government funded.

The "omnibus" spending bill, which provides for 8 of 13 federal departments, 
also includes the following high-tech proposals:

 The Workforce Improvement and Protection Act will increase the number of 
visas for skilled foreign workers.

 The Internet Tax Freedom Act, which establishes a national three-year 
moratorium on "discriminatory" taxes. Sites that offer "harmful" material 
would be exempt from the time-out. The provision requires Net access 
providers to offer customers products to screen out this material.

 The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act requires Web sites to get 
parental consent before collecting information from children aged 12 or 
younger.

 The Government Paperwork Elimination Act, which will make it possible to 
use electronic signatures for federal forms submitted via the Net.

Each of the five Net bills were added during the end-of-the-term rush, 
although three other high-tech bills (the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 
the Secuities Litigation Uniform Standards Act, and the Child Protection and 
Sexual Predator Punishment Act) made it through Congress on their own and 
are awaiting the president's signature.

On Friday, Clinton signed into law Rep. Constance Morella's (R-Maryland) 
legislation to create an 11-member Commission on Women in Science, 
Engineering, and Technology Development that will determine whether 
employers recruit, promote, pay, and retain women at the same rate as their 
male counterparts. The commission then will issue recommendations to 
government, academia, and the corporate sector based on its findings. The 
bill passed Congress earlier this month.
______________________________
David Goldstein
Research and Policy
Australian Broadcasting Authority

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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