The following statement on the American Privacy Rights Act of 2024 unveiled by House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) can be attributed to Chris Mohr, President, Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA).
We are encouraged by the release of the bipartisan and bicameral American Privacy Rights Act of 2024 (the Act) discussion draft. This is a thoughtful draft and a positive step towards a comprehensive federal privacy legislation. The draft indicates that Chairs Cantwell and McMorris Rodgers listened carefully to various stakeholders.
We are pleased to see the following improvements on the 2022 bill:
- a clear statement of the Act’s purposes to “establish a uniform national data privacy and data security standard in the United States” and to “expressly preempt laws of a State or political subdivision thereof”
- the removal of carve-outs for individual state legislation
- exempting inferences derived from publicly-available information
- clearer guidelines for AI impact assessments
- a new pilot program on privacy-enhancing technologies
- limiting state enforcement to a single state agency
SIIA has been advocating for federal legislation so that we can end the patchwork of bills enacted by a number of states, clarify protections for U.S. consumers, and create a healthier environment for information in the United States. We look forward to working with the sponsors in both houses to fine tune the legislation.
