Vermont Lawmakers Advance Right-to-Repair, Data Broker Privacy Bills

Vermont state senators supported continuing talks about electronics “right to repair,” concurring Wednesday with House amendments to a bill (S-180) to set up a task force to examine the need for legislation (see 1805040039). The Senate tweaked the bill further and returned it to the House. That day, the House disagreed with Senate amendments to a privacy bill (H-764) that would mandate security standards for data brokers and require them to report annually to the Vermont secretary of state. The House appointed members to a conference committee to settle differences with the Senate, which passed it 30-0 Tuesday. The Software & Information Industry Association last month opposed the measure as unconstitutional and burdensome to tech companies, but the Vermont Public Interest Research Group supported it as giving consumers more control over personal information (see 1804100042).