Bill Text: NJ ACR136 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Memorializes Congress to enact legislation prohibiting sale or lease of certain digital copy machines unless hard drive has been erased.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-06-21 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee [ACR136 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-ACR136-Introduced.html
ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 136
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED JUNE 21, 2010
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman LINDA R. GREENSTEIN
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Memorializes Congress to enact legislation prohibiting sale or lease of certain digital copy machines unless hard drive has been erased.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Concurrent Resolution memorializing Congress to enact legislation prohibiting the sale or lease of certain digital copy machines under certain circumstances.
Whereas, A recent investigative report on digital copy machines, noted that every digital copier manufactured since 2002 contains a hard drive that functions in a manner similar to a computer hard drive; and
Whereas, The report indicated that the hard drive of a digital copy machine stores an image of every document scanned, emailed or copied by the machine; and
Whereas, Digital copy machines are often leased for a fixed period of time and then sold with their hard drives intact; and
Whereas, Social Security numbers, birth certificates, medical records, bank records and other personal information can easily be retrieved from digital copy machines by identity thieves; and
Whereas, The report indicated that 60 percent of Americans did not know that digital copy machines store images on the machines' hard drives; and
Whereas, The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) indicated in a May 11, 2010 letter to Congressman Edward Markey that it is aware of the privacy risks associated with the use of digital copy machines; and
Whereas, The FTC has begun contacting copier manufacturers, resellers and retail copy and office supply stores to ensure that they are aware of the privacy risks associated with digital copy machines; and
Whereas, Copy machines are sold in interstate commerce and it is therefore appropriate for the United States Congress to enact legislation regulating their sale; and
Whereas, It is altogether fitting and proper and in the public interest for this Legislature to urge the Congress of the United States to enact legislation prohibiting the sale or lease of certain digital copy machines; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey (the Senate concurring):
1. The Congress of the United States is respectfully memorialized to enact legislation to require that the hard drives of digital copy machines sold or leased in this country be wiped clean.
2. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and the President of the Senate and attested by the Clerk of the General Assembly and the Secretary of the Senate, shall be transmitted to the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and to every member of Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
Recent news reports indicate that most digital copy machines use internal hard drives, which store every document that has been scanned, printed, faxed or emailed by the machines. Those electronic records will remain on a hard drive until the hard drive is erased.
This concurrent resolution memorializes Congress to enact legislation to require that the hard drives of digital copy machines sold or leased in this country be wiped clean.
