WASHINGTON – The Judicial Redress Act, which was introduced by U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) earlier this month, has already received strong endorsements from various stakeholders. The legislation will promote increased law enforcement cooperation and boost transatlantic relations by extending core benefits of the Privacy Act of 1974 to citizens of major U.S. allies for information shared for law enforcement purposes – similar to the benefits already afforded to U.S. citizens in many European nations. 


Since its introduction with bipartisan support in the House and Senate, the Judicial Redress Act has been endorsed by the following 17 trade associations and organizations: Application Developers Alliance, BSA |The Software Alliance, Cisco Systems, CompTIA, Computer & Communications Industry Association, Consumer Electronics Association, Foursquare, Google, Information Technology Industry Council, Internet Association, Intuit, Microsoft, Software & Information Industry Association, Symantec, Trans-Atlantic Business Council, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Yahoo.


In a joint letter addressed to U.S. Senators Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the Majority and Minority Leaders of the U.S. Senate, and to U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the Chairman and Ranking Members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, the 17 trade associations and organizations urged the Senate leaders to support the Murphy-Hatch Judicial Redress Act and to “swiftly pass” the legislation into law.   The legislation is also supported by The White House, U.S. Department of Justice, and U.S. federal law enforcement agencies.


Click here to view the letter sent by 17 trade associations and organization supporting the Judicial Redress Act. The full text of the letter is also below:

 

Dear Senate Leaders, 


The undersigned trade associations and organizations, representing leaders in the U.S. economy, write to urge your support for the bipartisan Judicial Redress Act of 2015, S. 1600, introduced on June 17, 2015 by Senators Hatch and Murphy. The Senate bill is a companion to a House bill (H.R. 1428) introduced by Representatives Sensenbrenner and Conyers in April. 


The last two years have seen a significant erosion of global public trust in both the U.S. government and the U.S. technology sector. As a result, U.S. companies across all sectors are suffering negative commercial consequences abroad, including loss of contracts, and face further burdens due to proposals to limit international data flows and impose onerous localization requirements on digital products and services.


To help restore the public trust necessary for the continued success of U.S. industry, the Judicial Redress Act will extend certain rights to the citizens of our designated allies, particularly European Union Member States. Citizens of these major U.S. allies will be able to avail themselves of the core benefits that Americans enjoy under the U.S. Privacy Act with regard to information shared with the United States for law enforcement purposes, in particular the ability to ensure that the information is accurate and seek judicial recourse when it is not. U.S. citizens already enjoy this right in most EU Member States. This will help foster a robust relationship between the U.S. and the EU and rebuild trust in U.S.-EU data flows. Transnational data flows serve as a key component of the digital trade that increasingly drives U.S. economic growth. 


The Judicial Redress Act has the support of the Obama Administration, Department of Justice, and federal law enforcement agencies. It will serve as a clear signal to our European allies that they can feel comfortable sharing critical law enforcement information across the Atlantic. In particular, the bill is key to finalizing long-standing EU-U.S. negotiations on an improved framework for data transfers pertaining to law enforcement and counter-terrorism purposes (the “umbrella” agreement). It will also go a long way towards ensuring a continuation of the large economic benefits tied to transatlantic data transfers.

The extension of rights provided for in the Judicial Redress Act is necessary to help restore public trust in both the U.S. government and the U.S. technology sector. We urge the Senate to act in a bipartisan fashion and swiftly pass the Judicial Redress Act of 2015.

Sincerely,

Application Developers Alliance 

BSA | The Software Alliance 

Cisco Systems 

CompTIA 

Computer & Communications Industry Association 

Consumer Electronics Association 

Foursquare 

Google 

Information Technology Industry Council 

Internet Association 

Intuit 

Microsoft 

Software & Information Industry Association 

Symantec Trans-Atlantic Business Council 

U.S. Chamber of Commerce 

Yahoo