Washington, D.C. - U.S. Representative Kevin Brady introduced legislation today with Representative Asa Hutchinson (R-AK) to create a bipartisan Privacy Protection Commission.

The bipartisan 17-member, federally appointed commission would be unique in Congress because of its comprehensive approach to dealing with the growing concern Americans have regarding the protection of their personal privacy - whether that be online privacy, identity theft, or the protection of health, medical, financial and government records.

Currently, there are some bills that deal with privacy concerns on more narrow fronts, however the commission established here would seek to address the concerns from a coordinated, comprehensive approach.

"Privacy laws are in infancy around the world. We have laws and regulations that don't relate to each other," said Brady. "For us to lead the world on this issue, we first have to know where we are going. That is why this commission is needed -- to develop a coordinated approach to dealing with privacy concerns in America."

The Internet has proved to be an effective tool for commerce. Financial transactions over the Internet have grown at an astounding rate with 17 million American households spending $20 billion shopping on-line last year. The use of the Internet as a medium for commercial activities will continue to grow with estimates that by the end of the year 2000, 56 percent of U.S. companies will sell their products online.

"High tech doesn't mean we have to be low privacy. We can still protect an individuals privacy, while not shutting down the economy," said Brady.