From: "Shabbir J. Safdar" <shabbir@panix.com>
Date: Sun, 12 Jun 94 18:06:31 PDT
To: vtw-announce@panix.com
Subject: URGENT Action required (NJ folks only)
Message-ID: <199406130055.AA07966@panix3.panix.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Estimated time for this good deed: Two minutes

Do you live in one of the following zip codes in New Jersey?

07010 07014(part) 07020 07022 07024 07026 07029(part) 07031 07032(part)
07047(part) 07057 07070 07071 07072 07073 07074 07075 07087(part) 07094
07096 07306(part) 07307 07308 07310(part) 07407 07410(part) 07452(part)
07601 07602 07603 07604 07605 07606 07607 07608 07631 07632 07643 07644
07646 07649(part) 07650 07657 07660 07661 07662(part) 07666 07670(part)

If your zip code is listed above then you are one of Rep.  Torricelli's
constitutents.  "part" means your zip code is split between two
districts, one of them Rep. Torricelli's.  Rep. Torricelli is on the
House Intelligence Committee and needs to hear from you about HR 3627,
which would permit cryptography exports.  The attached file explains
all about the bill and why you should support it.

Call Rep. Torricelli today and ask him to send Rep. Maria Cantwell's
bill, HR 3627, to the House Floor!

   Dist ST Name, Address, and Party       Phone            Fax
   ==== == ========================       ==============   ==============
      9 NJ Torricelli, Robert (D)         1-202-224-5061   1-202-225-0843
             2159 RHOB

Here is a sample communique you might use:

	Dear Representative Torricelli,

	Please report Maria Cantwell's Cryptography export bill (HR
	3627) out of committee.  Its passage will both assist American
	industries competing globally, as well as allow American
	consumers to purchase products to enhance their privacy.

	Sincerely,
			______________



Table of contents:
	Introduction & Alert
	Status of the bill
	What you can do right now
	List of legislators supporting HR 3627
	List of legislators wavering on HR 3627
	List of legislators opposing HR 3627
	What is the Cantwell bill?

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INTRODUCTION & ALERT

The Cantwell cryptography export bill has entered a critical stage in its
travels through Congress. The bill, which would loosen controls on the export
of encryption software, has been referred to the House Select Committee on
Intelligence, and must be be reported back from committee by June 16th or
it will die. This alert details the provisions of the bill, its history,
and what you can do to show your support. 

Voters Telecomm Watch keeps scorecards on legislators' positions on 
legislation that affects telecommunications and civil liberties.
If you have updates to a legislator's positions, from either:

	-public testimony,
	-reply letters from the legislator,
	-stated positions from their office,

please send them to vtw@panix.com so they can be added to this list.

General questions: 	vtw@panix.com
Mailing List Requests: 	vtw-list-request@panix.com
Press Contact: 		stc@panix.com
Gopher URL: 		gopher://gopher.panix.com:70/1/1/vtw
WWW URL:		Be patient; we're working on it. :-)
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STATUS OF THE BILL (updated 6/3/94)

The office of the House Select Committee on Intelligence reports that
HR 3627 has been referred to the the committee and must be reported out by
June 16th or it will die in committee for the year. 

May 20, 94  Referred to the House Select Committee on Intelligence 
May 18, 94  Passed out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on May 18
Dec  6, 93  Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Policy, Trade and
Nov 22, 93  Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

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WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW

Estimated time to do this good deed: Two minutes

Show your support for HR 3627 by contacting a member of the House
Select Committee on Intelligence, especially if your one of your state's
representatives is on the committee. The end of this alert contains a
sample message on which you can base your contact. The following list,
sorted by state, shows the full membership of the committee and how to
reach them.

Remember, the deadline for the bill to pass out of committee is
June 16th, so it is important to act quickly!

If you live in one of the states listed below call your legislator.
Otherwise, call Rep. Glickman.  Here's a sample communication:

	Dear Representative ___________,

	Please report Maria Cantwell's Cryptography export bill (HR
	3627) out of committee.  Its passage will both assist American
	industries competing globally, as well as allow American
	consumers to purchase products to enhance their privacy.

	Sincerely,
			______________


All addresses are Washington, D.C. 20515

   Dist ST Name, Address, and Party       Phone            Fax
   ==== == ========================       ==============   ==============
      5 AL Cramer Jr, Robert E. (D)       1-202-225-4801   1-202-225-4392
             1318 LHOB
      8 CA Pelosi, Nancy (D)              1-202-225-4965   1-202-225-8259
             240 Cannon
     32 CA Dixon, Julian C. (D)           1-202-225-7084   1-202-225-4091
             2400 RHOB
     40 CA Lewis, Jerry (R)               1-202-225-5861   1-202-225-6498
             2312 RHOB
     46 CA Dornan, Robert K. (R)          1-202-225-2965   1-202-225-3694
             2402 RHOB
      2 CO Skaggs, David E. (D)           1-202-225-2161   1-202-225-9127
             1124 LHOB
     10 FL Young, C. W. (R)               1-202-225-5961   1-202-225-9764 
             2407 RHOB
      4 KS Glickman, Daniel (D)           1-202-225-6216   1-202-225-5398
             2371 RHOB
      1 NE Bereuter, Douglas (R)          1-202-225-4806   1-202-226-1148 
             2348 RHOB
      9 NJ Torricelli, Robert (D)         1-202-224-5061   1-202-225-0843
             2159 RHOB
      3 NM Richardson, William (D)        1-202-225-6190   1-202-225-1950
             2349 RHOB
      1 NV Bilbray, James H. (D)          1-202-225-5965   1-202-225-8808
             2431 RHOB
     17 PA Gekas, George W. (R)           1-202-225-4315   1-202-225-8440
             2410 RHOB
      2 RI Reed, John F. (D)              1-202-225-2735   1-202-225-9580
             1510 LHOB
     14 TX Laughlin, Gregory H. (D)       1-202-225-2831   1-202-225-1108 
             236 Cannon 
     16 TX Coleman, Ronald D. (D)         1-202-225-4831   None
             440 Cannon
     19 TX Combest, Larry (R)             1-202-225-4005   1-202-225-9615
             1511 LHOB
      1 UT Hansen, James V. (R)           1-202-225-0453   1-202-225-5857
             2466 RHOB
      6 WA Dicks, Norman D. (D)           1-202-225-5916   1-202-226-1176
             2467 RHOB

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LIST OF LEGISLATORS SUPPORTING HR 3627

The following legislators have formally registered support for the Cantwell
cryptography export bill, HR 3627.  Call them with your cheers.

All addresses are Washington, D.C. 20515

   Dist ST Name, Address, and Party       Phone            Fax
   ==== == ========================       ==============   ==============
      1 WA Cantwell, Maria (D)            1-202-225-6311   1-202-225-2286
             1520 LHOB
	HR 3627's sponsor; thank her for her work!

     16 IL Manzullo, Donald (R)           1-202-225-5676   1-202-225-5284
             506 Cannon
	Cosponsored on 11/22/93
 
      3 UT Orton, William H. (D)          1-202-225-7751   1-202-226-1223
             1122 LHOB
	Cosponsored on 03/22/94

      3 OR Wyden, Ronald (D)              1-202-225-4811   1-202-225-8941
             1111 LHOB
	Cosponsored on 03/22/94

     16 CA Edwards, Donald (D)            1-202-225-3072   1-202-225-9460
             2307 RHOB
	Cosponsored on 03/22/94

     19 OH Fingerhut, Eric D. (D)         1-202-225-5731   1-202-225-9114
             431 Cannon
	Cosponsored on 03/22/94

      4 MA Frank, Barney (D)              1-202-225-5931   1-202-225-0182
             2404 RHOB
	Cosponsored on 03/22/94

      2 UT Shepherd, Karen (D)            1-202-225-3011   1-202-226-0354
             414 Cannon
	Cosponsored on 03/22/94

      3 WA Unsoeld, Jolene (D)            1-202-225-3536   1-202-225-9095
             1527 LHOB
	Cosponsored on 03/22/94

     19 FL Johnston II, Harry (D)         1-202-225-3001   1-202-225-8791
             204 Cannon
	Cosponsored on 03/22/94

      9 WA Kreidler, Mike (D)             1-202-225-8901   1-202-226-2361
             1535 LHOB
	Cosponsored on 03/22/94

      4 WA Inslee, Jay (D)                1-202-225-5816   1-202-226-1137
             1431 LHOB
	Cosponsored on 03/22/94

      7 WA McDermott, James A. (D)        1-202-225-3106   1-202-225-9212
             1707 LHOB
	Cosponsored on 03/22/94

      8 IN McCloskey, Frank (D)           1-202-225-4636   1-202-225-4688
             306 Cannon
	Cosponsored on 03/22/94

     14 CA Eshoo, Anna G. (D)             1-202-225-8104   1-202-225-8890
             1505 LHOB
	Cosponsored on 03/22/94

     10 NC Ballenger, Thomas C. (R)       1-202-225-2576   1-202-225-0316
             2238 RHOB
	Cosponsored on 05/04/94

      2 WA Swift, Al (D)                  1-202-225-2605   1-202-225-2608
             1502 LHOB
	Cosponsored on 05/04/94

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LIST OF LEGISLATORS WAVERING ON HR 3627
[Feel free to use the sample communique at the end of the FAQ when calling
 or writing a legislator.]

     26 NY Hinchey, Maurice D. (D)        1-202-225-6335   1-202-226-0774
             1313 LHOB
	Recently told a constituent that he is taking the Cantwell bill
	under consideration, but has "national security concerns" about
	allowing encryption to be exported outside the United States.

      1 IA Leach, James (R)               1-202-225-6576   1-202-226-1278
             2186 RHOB
	Has yet to answer a constituent letter with a stated position.

     13 NY Molinari, Susan (D)            1-202-225-3371   1-202-226-1272
             123 Cannon
	Has yet to answer a constituent letter with a stated position.
	(has taken inordinately long)

      8 NY Nadler, Jerrold (D)            1-202-225-5635   1-202-225-6923
             424 Cannon
	Met with lobbying constituent in April '94; no position taken yet

     25 CA McKeon, Howard P. (R)          1-202-225-1956   1-202-226-0683 
             307 Cannon
	Responded to a constituent with a "non-position", May '94

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LIST OF LEGISLATORS OPPOSING HR 3627
[Feel free to use the sample communique at the end of the FAQ when calling
 or writing a legislator.]

None on file yet.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What is the Cantwell bill?

The Cantwell bill would permit companies to export products with
encryption technology in them.  US companies are currently
not permitted to export products (hardware or software) with this
technology in them.


What is encryption technology?

Encryption technology, or cryptography, is the art of scrambling 
a conversation so that only the people communicating can decode
it.  Other people (such as eavesdroppers) cannot learn about
the conversation.


Where is cryptography being used?

Cryptography is used to encrypt electronic mail to protect its confidentiality
in transit.  It's used by bank automatic teller machines to protect
sensitive data (such as your account number, your Personal Identification
Number, and your bank balance).  It can be implemented into software
(such as electronic mail programs and word processors) as well as hardware
(such as telephones and "walkie-talkies") to ensure your privacy.


Why is there a restriction on exporting products with technology
in them?

For many years the United States was a leading researcher in
cryptography.  High quality cryptographic technology was available only
within the United States.  The US government thought that if they did
not let this technology be exported, foreign individuals would not be able
to obtain it and use it against us (by keeping US intelligence agencies
from eavesdropping on their communications)

Since then, cryptography research has been published in international
journals.  Companies have been created throughout the world who
export cryptographic technology from countries that do not have
these restrictions.  You can now buy the same, high-quality cryptographic
technology from many international firms.  Although the marketplace
has changed, the regulations have not.


Why should the regulations be changed?

US companies compete in a global marketplace.  Because of the export
regulations, they often compete alongside products with superior
cryptographic capabilities built into them.

The result is that US companies build their products with
an inferior encryption technology.  The result of this is that
you, as an American consumer, have great difficulty obtaining
products with strong encryption in them.

Because US products cannot compete against products with better 
privacy features, and because the laws are outdated, the regulations
should be changed.  The Cantwell bill fixes these regulations to more
accurately resemble the current situation of the world marketplace.


How can I help encourage more privacy-enhanced products and
pass the Cantwell bill?

Call or write your representative and ask them to support or cosponsor the
Cantwell bill, HR 3627.  You can base your letter on the sample
communication below.


SAMPLE LETTER OR PHONE CALL

The Honorable ____________
address
Washington DC, 20515

Dear Congressman or Congresswoman,

As a citizen concerned for my privacy, as well as a supporter of
American business, I urge you to cosponsor the Cantwell cryptographic
export bill, HR 3627.

The bill would allow US companies to produce and export products with
cryptographic privacy-enhancing technology in them.  These products
are already available from firms throughout the world.  US companies
lose nearly $100 million per year in exports to them.

By encouraging this industry, ordinary citizens like you and me would
be able to purchase products with better privacy features.

Please support or co-sponsor HR 3627.

Sincerely,

___________________________________ 

[updated May 28, 1994, shabbir@panix.com]
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