The Vermont House Commerce Committee split 7-4 Friday to advance a bill (H-342) that echoes New Jersey’s Daniel’s Law. Supporting the bill in a livestreamed hearing prior to the vote, Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark (D) said the lesson from New Jersey is that it’s “a pretty good bill that's defensible in court.”
As the Vermont Senate Institutions Committee cleared a comprehensive privacy bill (S-71) in a 5-0 vote Friday, Chair Wendy Harrison (D) reminded colleagues that the legislature is in the “middle of the process.” A day earlier, the panel replaced the legislation's language with that of an industry-favored bill (S-93), which consumer privacy advocates have called weak (see 2503130053).
Washington state senators voted 36-12 Wednesday for a kids privacy bill (SB-5708).
In an apparent win for industry, the Vermont Senate Institutions Committee voted 5-0 Thursday to replace the text of a comprehensive privacy bill (S-71) with that of S-93. S-93, which the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and other business groups preferred, lacks a private right of action and is much like Connecticut's privacy law.
Vermont senators shouldn’t let Big Tech convince them to "pass their favored model of privacy legislation in lieu of stronger protections” like S-71, said a Consumer Reports (CR) official Wednesday at a livestreamed meeting.
Vermont lawmakers weighed the need for a bill protecting the sensitive information of certain public servants at a House Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday. Some questioned if the bill (H-342) is necessary, while others asked whether it would lead to excessive lawsuits.
Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark (D) pressed her case for including a private right of action (PRA) in a proposed comprehensive state privacy law (S-71) at a Senate Institutions Committee hearing livestreamed Tuesday. However, a Republican committee member and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce pushed back against allowing individuals to sue. The Chamber witnesses urged lawmakers to instead pass a rival bill (S-93) to more closely align Vermont with privacy laws in other New England states.
State fervor for child online safety bills continued apace this week. Wyoming and Utah approved age-verification measures, while several states advanced bills or introduced them. Kids privacy and online safety have been a major focus for state legislatures this year (see 2502250017 and 2501170053). Accordingly, Privacy Daily is tracking more than 100 of these bills across the country (see map).
After a contentious hearing last week on a New Mexico comprehensive privacy bill, the sponsor presented an amended version of the legislation to the House Commerce Committee at a Monday meeting. The panel cleared the bill 9-0.
Washington state bills requiring privacy and AI transparency are apparently dead after missing a Friday cutoff to clear fiscal committees in the legislature. However, child privacy bills in the House and Senate cleared their respective fiscal committees in time.