Wednesday, November 15, 2017, the US Republican-led House of Representatives approved HB 4174 to create an integrated citizen data system on a voice vote after brief testimony all in support, despite hundreds of citizen calls to reject the bill. Since it was not a roll-call vote, no specific record of yea’s or nay’s is available. But fairly, since not a single Congressman spoke out against the bill, despite having received hundreds of citizens calls and emails, every on of them is accountable.
Who would have guessed a Republican majority in DC would have been the first to usher in absolute tyranny?
On Thursday, Congressman Trey Gowdy (SC-4), Chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee, sent out “clarification” to the Foundations for Evidence-based Policy-making Act (FEPA), or HR 4174. Congressman Gowdy insists the bill:
- “does not create a federal data base, and does not collect federal data in one place,” although the bill says “establishment of a shared service to facilitate data sharing, and enable data linkage” across all government agencies; and
- does not authorize any new data analysis,” yet on the House floor, a key talking point was improving analysis of outcomes Do they think we are stupid? This same parsing occurred with Common Core, folks. Remember, not national standards, states get to choose, blah, blah, blah.
Do they think we are stupid? This same parsing occurred with Common Core, folks. Remember, not national standards, states get to choose, blah, blah, blah.
Congressmen Trey Gowdy, Paul Mitchell (MI-10), Justin Amash (MI-3), Paul Ryan (WI-1)- all of them are wrong. This is in fact creating a federal data system about each and every one of us who has been in the military, filed a tax return, attend public school, completed a census form, bought a gun, received any government service or participated in any government program. They imagine they are capable of setting up an easy to use, efficient, broadly accessible data system that “protects” our privacy. Talk about evidence-less decision making.
There was no press coverage, but then again the press was listed among the many beneficiaries of the new data access.
There is a Senate twin bill, S.2046, which is in the Government Oversight Committee. Please continue to contact your senators and members of the Government Oversight Committee and tell them the dangers of this bill. Here are the members of the Government Oversight Committee and their contact information.