Vermont House Committee Begins Privacy Bill Push

Vermont legislators should consider privacy bill exemptions for companies and organizations already subject to federal privacy regulations, representatives from the financial and health sectors told the House Commerce Committee during a hearing Thursday on H-121, a consumer privacy bill introduced by Chairman Michael Marcotte (R). Vermont legislators announced plans to pursue a privacy bill last year (see 2203160053). H-121 includes data minimization requirements like those in the California Consumer Protection Act and requires businesses to respect do-not-track signals like those in Colorado’s law. The proposal would expand Vermont’s data broker law to allow consumers to opt out of the processing of personal information for targeted advertising, predictive analytics, tracking and/or the sale of personal information. The law would take effect July 1. The 32-page bill doesn’t scratch the surface of what’s passed in California and the EU, but it would enhance consumer privacy in Vermont, said Legislative Counsel David Hall. Europe has much more robust privacy laws, said Assistant Attorney General Sarah Aceves. She said she’s more concerned about inaction on the privacy front than about moving forward with a state patchwork of privacy laws. She said the AG’s office, which would be responsible for enforcement, is comfortable with what’s in the bill but open to organically changing elements. VPIRG Communications and Technology Director Zachary Tomanelli encouraged passage of the bill but said he anticipates further changes. Vermont Bankers Association President Chris D'Elia, Association of Vermont Credit Unions President Joseph Bergeron and Devon Green, Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems vice president-government relations, all spoke of the need for exemptions for organizations already subject to federal laws on financial- and health-related privacy, including the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.