Updated Federal Data Privacy Bill Moves Forward

The House Energy and Commerce Innovation, Data, and Commerce subcommittee unanimously approved a revised draft proposal for a Federal privacy law, forwarding the bill to the full committee for consideration.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., presented an updated version of the American Privacy Rights Act earlier this week, incorporating several modifications from the original draft introduced in April.

The objective of the bill is to establish clear, nationwide data privacy rights and safeguards for Americans.

“I urge my colleagues to agree to continue to work on this bill before it heads to a full committee markup. Lacking the necessary changes raised by me and others, I’m not yet sure I could support this privacy legislation to be considered at a full committee markup,”  Rep. Kelly said.

The envisioned data privacy rights would impose constraints on major tech entities curbing their capacity to utilize Americans’ data without explicit consent.

The bill would empower citizens to opt out of a company's utilization of algorithms in decisions concerning housing, employment, healthcare, credit opportunities, education, insurance, or access to public accommodations.

While the recent development is seen as an significant milestone, the legislation must still undergo approval from the entire House Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as both the House and Senate, before it can potentially be signed into law by President Joe Biden.