PENNSYLVANIA, October 15 - WHEREAS, States administer these programs as agents of the

Federal Government, and Congress must provide resources, tools

and legal permissions that enable effective implementation; and

WHEREAS, The Federal Government maintains large repositories

of wage, employment, unemployment compensation and tax

information that are essential to verify eligibility and

compliance with work requirements; and

WHEREAS, Existing Federal privacy laws, including the Health

Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and the

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, and statutory

confidentiality provisions that govern tax and unemployment

records, can limit or impede efficient information exchange

between Federal and state agencies; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

urge the Congress of the United States to establish a

centralized, secure and streamlined national database or

comparable system to share wage, employment, unemployment

compensation and other relevant eligibility data with the

states; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

urge the Congress of the United States to enact targeted

exceptions to Federal privacy laws as necessary to enable lawful

and efficient intergovernmental data sharing while maintaining

the highest standards for individual privacy and data security;

and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

urge the Congress of the United States to ensure the timely flow

of information sufficient to allow states to comply with the new

Federal requirements and to reduce administrative burdens on

states and program beneficiaries; and be it further

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