Conyers, Goodlatte and Sensenbrenner Praise House Passage of Legislation to Strengthen Privacy Protections for Individuals

Washington, D.C. – The House of Representatives today approved the Judicial Redress Act of 2015(H.R. 1428) by voice vote. Introduced by Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.), the Judicial Redress Act of 2015 would strengthen partnerships with our allies and ensure continued law enforcement cooperation between the United States and Europe by giving covered foreign citizens the ability to seek judicial redress in U.S. courts to ensure that their privacy is protected.

The bipartisan legislation would extend certain privacy protection rights to citizens of European countries, as well as other allied nations, if the federal government willfully discloses information in violation of the Privacy Act. Under the Judicial Redress Act, citizens of designated countries would be extended the core benefits of the Privacy Act, which already applies to Americans, with regard to information shared with U.S. law enforcement authorities, including the ability to bring a lawsuit for the intentional or willful disclosure of personal information.  Many countries already extend such protections to U.S. citizens.

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Goodlatte (R-Va.), Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner, and House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers issued the following statement on the passage of the bill:

“Today’s bipartisan passage of the Judicial Redress Act will help restore our allies’ faith in U.S. data privacy protections and helping facilitate agreements, such as the Data Protection and Privacy Agreement, that strengthen our trans-Atlantic partnerships with Europe. This bill benefits not only our own law enforcement, but is a sign of good faith to our partners abroad. We are pleased with the resounding bipartisan support that has been shown for this measure by our colleagues, and urge the Senate to take up this measure as quickly as possible.”

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House Judiciary Committee Approves the Judicial Redress Act, Legislation to Strengthen Privacy Protections for Individuals

Washington, D.C. – The House Judiciary Committee today approved the Judicial Redress Act of 2015 (H.R. 1428) by voice vote. Introduced by Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.), the Judicial Redress Act of 2015 would strengthen partnerships with our allies and ensure continued law enforcement cooperation between the United States and Europe, while giving more individuals the ability to ensure that their privacy is protected.

The bipartisan legislation would extend certain privacy protection rights to citizens of European countries, as well as other allied nations, when the government willfully discloses information in violation of laws. Under the Judicial Redress Act of 2015, citizens of designated countries would be extended the core benefits of the Privacy Act that already applies to Americans with regard to information shared with U.S. law enforcement authorities, including the ability to bring a lawsuit for the correction of records and remedies for the intentional or willful disclosure of information. Many countries already extend such protections to U.S. citizens.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Goodlatte (R-Va.), Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner, and House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers issued the following statements on the Committee’s approval of the bill:

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

Ranking Member Conyers: “The Judicial Redress Act is good for national security, good for privacy, good for business, and unquestionably the right thing to do for our nation’s closest allies.  We all benefit when the information our law enforcement agencies share is accurate.  Our partners in trade and security should have the ability to seek recourse when it is not.  I look forward to voting for this important legislation on the House floor and to swift passage in the Senate.”

Chairman Goodlatte: “I am pleased with the Committee’s bipartisan approval of the Judicial Redress Act. Approval of this bill will go a long way toward restoring our allies’ faith in U.S. data privacy protections and helping facilitate agreements, such as the Data Protection and Privacy Agreement, that strengthen our trans-Atlantic partnerships with Europe.”

Congressman Sensenbrenner: “Continuing advancements in technology make it critical to increase our security efforts and continue building solid relationships with our allies. As part of our growing law enforcement strategy, as well as a sign of good faith to our international partners, we must past theJudicial Redress Act of 2015.”

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Reps. Conyers and Sensenbrenner Introduce The Judicial Redress Act

WASHINGTON – Today, House Judiciary Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Rep. Sensenbrenner (R- Wis.) introduced the Judicial Redress Act of 2015, which:

·        Extends citizens of major U.S. allies the core benefits that Americans enjoy under the Privacy Act with regard to information shared with the United States for law enforcement purposes. 

·        Serves as an important show of support for our allies and is critical to ensure continued sharing of information that is crucial to law enforcement efforts and to national security. 

·        Has the support of the Department of Justice, federal law enforcement agencies and key European politicians.   

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

Congressman Conyers:  “For more than a decade, our allies in Europe have worked with federal law enforcement to ensure that our recordkeeping is both accurate and complete.  In support of that vital relationship, this legislation offers our allies a limited set of privacy protections.  This bill is a measure of basic fairness—our friends abroad should have some course of redress with respect to information that they provided to the U.S. government in the first place.  The Obama Administration fully backs this proposal, and I look forward to its speedy passage.”

Congressman Sensenbrenner: “The fight against terror spans the globe. Coordinating our efforts with friendly nations is vital to our national security and the security of our European allies.  Extending certain rights to their citizens will also help foster a trusting and mutually beneficial relationship for American and European businesses.  In short, this legislation will bolster our intelligence gathering capabilities and protect civil liberties at home and abroad.”

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