U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the new chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and two of his colleagues proposed the Federal Agency Data Mining Reporting Act on Wednesday during a committee hearing on the privacy implications of data mining by federal agencies.

The bill, cosponsored by Sens. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and John Sununu (R-N.H.), would require agencies to report to Congress on their development and use of data mining programs, thereby providing an "oversight mechanism," Leahy said in his opening statement at the hearing. Similar legislation was introduced during the last Congress but received "no attention," he said.

"This year, I intend to make sure that we do a better job," Leahy said.

Such legislation is overdue, said Orson Swindle, a former commissioner with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and a policy adviser at Hunton & Williams LLP, a Washington law firm. "If ever there was a need for a bipartisan effort, it is now," Swindle said.

Data mining techniques may ultimately help the government in its antiterror efforts, Swindle said. But, he added, "oversight is essential." Care needs to be taken to ensure that there are proper controls for collecting and using data and that there is accountability for any misuse, he said.