Washington – A wrap up report about state legislative proposals concerning privacy across the country finds over 140 bills have been introduced across 37 states. The Computer & Communications Industry Association released its report summarizing the previous legislative session and predictions for the year ahead for state privacy legislation.
In 2022 several Democratic state legislatures enacted comprehensive consumer data privacy legislation, while 2023 legislative sessions saw a red wave with Republican states Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Tennessee, and Texas enacting state privacy laws. Meanwhile, Democrats in Delaware and Oregon passed their own laws. Other states advanced proposals related to specific aspects of privacy, such as biometric and health data.
In 2024, CCIA anticipates states which considered and “carried over” legislation from 2023, the first year of the biennium for many states, will continue debating such proposals while even more states will follow suit in introducing their own frameworks.
CCIA has advocated for comprehensive federal privacy legislation and supported baseline privacy measures for 25 years.
The following can be attributed to CCIA State Policy Director Khara Boender:
“We appreciate states pushing ahead with privacy protections due to the lack of federal action to establish baseline privacy rules. It is worth noting though that federal legislation is still needed as these patchwork privacy protections are especially difficult for smaller businesses that may have smaller legal compliance teams. To the extent states can adopt similar best practices and definitions, that will help both with businesses working to comply and consumers knowing what to expect. As we prepare for the next session in 2024, we would also discourage state requirements for companies to gather more data, particularly for children.”