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Floor Statement

	Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay U.S. House of Representatives Floor Statement Tuesday, June 3, 2008
	STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE WM. LACY CLAY CHAIRMAN, INFORMATION POLICY, CENSUS, AND NATIONAL ARCHIVES SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE FLOOR OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES REGARDING H. R.  4791, As Amended, The Federal Agency Data Protection Act
	MR. CLAY:  Mr./Madame Speaker. SPEAKER: For what purpose does the gentleman rise? MR. CLAY: Mr. Speaker, I move that the House suspend the rules and agree to H. R. 4791, the Federal Agency Data Protection Act, as amended. SPEAKER: The clerk will report the title.  (Reading clerk reads)  The gentleman from _______ and the gentleman from_______ will be recognized for twenty (20) minutes. MR. CLAY: Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks. SPEAKER:  Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Missouri.   Mr. CLAY: I yield myself such time as I may consume.  Mr. Speaker, As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census and National Archives, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H.R. 4971, the Federal Agency Data Protection Act, a bill to protect personally identifiable information of individuals that is maintained in or transmitted by federal agency information systems.    H.R. 4971, which I introduced along with Chairman Henry Waxman and Rep. Ed Towns on December 18, 2007, was reported from the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on May 21, 2008.  I want to especially thank Ranking Member Tom Davis for working with us on this legislation, especially on the notification provision.  Despite progress made with the implementation of the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), GAO found that “pervasive weaknesses” continued to exist primarily because agencies failed to maintain secure IT networks.  As a result, GAO concluded that federal financial data are at risk of unauthorized modification or destruction, sensitive information at risk of inappropriate disclosure, and critical operations at risk of disruption.     H.R. 4791 would secure our agencies’ IT assets and require an annual audit of agency programs.  The bill would also establish a comprehensive definition for “personally identifiable information” and mandate that agencies notify individuals when their personal information is accessed in a data breach. Mr. Speaker, in light of today’s report that 1,000 patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and other military hospitals had their names, social security numbers and birth dates exposed in a security breach, this is a timely measure that provides Americans with some assurance that the federal government will work diligently to protect their personal information.  I urge the swift passage of H.R. 4791 and reserve the balance of my time Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. # #