AAA Supports Travelers' Privacy Legislation

In addition to a letter sent to Representative Zoe Lofgren in support of her ‘electronic device privacy act of 2008,’ association President Setha Low sent letters to the House Committee on the Judiciary and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to express support for Lofgren’s legislation, as well as similar legislation by Representative Adam Smith of Washington and Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin.

Back in April of this year, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that federal officials—-namely, Custom and Border agents—-can “randomly” search and seize electronic information stored on laptop computers, cameras, cell phones, MP3 players, and other devices without “reasonable suspicion.” This poses obvious risks to anthropologists and their research participants.

We are hoping to get bills that will prevent such border searches on the legislative calendar for 2009, and encourage our readers to contact their Congressperson to express concern about this issue. In the meantime, we advise anthropologists to code all identifiable information, delete electronic information that could be used to identify or harm participants, encrypt any sensitive data, store research in a secure online database, and/or send data electronically instead of carrying it across borders.

Members should contact the AAA if they have been subject to a search without cause for reasonable suspicion.

AAA Backs Global AIDS Legislation

AAA addressed a letter to Senate majority leader Harry Reid, requesting that he urge his fellow Senators to reject any amendments to the Global AIDS Bill that would decrease funds for the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. The bill was expected to pass the Senate floor prior to the G-8 Summit, but several Republicans stopped the bill in its tracks. These Senators are retaining their holds on the bill because of concerns over its $50 billion dollar price tag and its family-planning and prevention programs.

Improving Intellectual Property Law

The House Judiciary Committee approved the ‘Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act’ (H.R. 4279) to strengthen the enforcement of laws against intellectual property piracy and counterfeiting. The bill will increase penalties for copyright infringement, improve agencies tasked with enforcing intellectual property, and increase efforts to combat infringement at both the national and international level.

A video webcast of the hearing is available here

Democrats Push for Additional Food Aid

Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Robert Casey (D-PA) held a news conference Monday afternoon to call for an additional $200 million in emergency food aid on top of the $350 million in aid that Bush is requesting for the Iraq supplemental spending bill. However, Bush has threatened to veto the bill if it exceeds the $108 billion Iraq package he proposed. Durbin is hoping that Secretary of State Condolleeza Rice will be able to generate support for additional aid in the White House and among congressional Republicans. Although Rice has expressed support for the increased funding of food programs, she has stopped short of saying she would support an increase of $200 million.

Genetic Nondiscrimination Bill

A genetic nondiscrimination bill that has been in Congress for over a decade is likely to find its way to the White House this week. The bill, originally stalled in the Senate by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), was passed by the Senate today after Coburn lifted his objections to the bill following negotiations. The bill makes it illegal to deny insurance or employment to people based on their genetic information. The bill is expected to pass both the House and the White House with little resistance.

Congress Daily Article

NY Times Article

House Passes Student Loan Bill

"The Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008" (H.R. 5715) easily passed through the House after receiving approval from both the House Education and Labor Committee and the House Rules Committee. However, the bill is expected to face some roadblocks in the Senate, and negotiations are likely to occur before it is finally passed. This legislation will increase limits on federally backed student loans by $2,000 per student, and will increase the total amount of federal loans students can borrow.

Additional information can be found below:

Copy of the bill [pdf]

Committee press release