FRIDAY BRIEF

April 26, 2002

Volume 4, Issue #36

Institute Chairman Meets with King of Morocco

Islamic Institute Chairman Khaled Saffuri attended a reception and meeting Tuesday with King Mohammed VI of Morocco during his majesty's official visit to Washington, D.C. The meeting and reception took place following the King's visit to the White House, where he and President Bush held discussions focusing on the current situation in the Middle East.

Mr. Saffuri thanked the King for his distinguished role in helping to bridge the gap between the United States and the Muslim world, and he also discussed issues of free markets and democracy in the Middle East. King Mohammed expressed his appreciation for the constructive role that Muslim Americans have taken to promote understanding of Islam and the Muslim world in America, and he stressed the long history of friendly relations between the United States and Morocco, which was the first country to recognize American independence.

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Legislation Introduced to Protect Privacy, Reform Government

On Wednesday, Representative Bob Barr (R-GA) introduced bipartisan legislation intended to protect Americans from unjustified or unintended invasions of their privacy by the federal government. Rep. Barr was joined by a broad coalition of national grassroots organizations ranging from the National Rifle Association to the American Civil Liberties Union to offer support for the legislation.

The proposed legislation, the Federal Agency Protection of Privacy Act, would require federal agencies to issue a privacy impact statement upon proposing any new rule or regulation. After the completion of a public comment period, the federal agency would then be required to issue a final assessment detailing what steps the agency has taken to minimize the impact of the regulations on the personal privacy of Americans. Rep. Barr and other lawmakers in attendance said the new bill contains clearer definitions of the requirements to be placed on federal agencies in conducting privacy assessments. They also said congressional action last year to fight terrorism domestically (in the form of the USA PATRIOT Act) could give the bill momentum. The legislation passed by Congress gave broad new investigative powers that can seriously affect the personal privacy of Americans.

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Public Policy Boot Camp

The American Conservative Union and project partners Club for Growth and GOPAC will host their annual Public Policy Boot Camp in Arlington, Virginia, from June 2 through June 4, 2002. The conference consists of three days of classroom training in public policy issues for conservative political activists and candidates for public office.
Classes will be offered on a variety of issues including: Social Security, education, environment and energy, foreign policy, defense, and healthcare, among others. Instructors will include David Keene of the American Conservative Union, Stephen Moore of the Club for Growth, Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, and many other nationally recognized public policy experts.

Further information can be found at the ACU website at www.conservative.org.