- May 2 1996. S. 1726, the Burns/Leahy "Pro-CODE" Bill introduced.
- Febuary 1997, S. 377, the "Pro-CODE" Bill introduced by Sen. Conrad Burns,
Sen. Patrick Leahy.
- Encourage the widespread availability of strong privacy and security products by
relaxing export controls on encryption technologies that are already available on the mass
market or in the public domain.
- Prohibit the federal government from imposing mandatory key-escrow or key-recovery
encryption policies on the domestic market and limit the authority of the Secretary of
Commerce to set standards for encryption products.
Battle lost in Senate
- June 1997. S. 909, the "Secure Public Networks Act" (the McCain-Kerrey bill),
introduced by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Robert Kerrey (D-NE). McCain is Chair of
Commerce
- A bill which would for the first time impose domestic restrictions on the ability of
American citizens to use encryption technologies to protect their privacy and security
inside the United States. The legislation would force the U.S. domestic market for
encryption to adopt untested and vulnerable "key-recovery" encryption systems.
Though presented as a compromise between Administration policy and encryption reform bills
now pending in Congress, the McCain-Kerrey bill in fact mirrors draft legislation proposed
earlier this year by the Clinton Administration.
