June 20, 2024 at 09:18PM
The Vermont General Assembly failed to override Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of H.121, a bill aimed at establishing strong data privacy protection laws. The bill included a right-of-action provision allowing consumers to sue companies for data misuse and a “Kids Code” section requiring age-appropriate online content. Gov. Scott cited business concerns and recommended adopting Connecticut’s data privacy law.
Based on the meeting notes, key takeaways are:
1. The Vermont General Assembly failed to override Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of H.121, a bill aimed at enhancing consumer privacy and implementing age-appropriate design codes for online services targeting children under 18.
2. The bill included a right-of-action provision allowing consumers to sue companies misusing their sensitive data and a section called “Kids Code” to ensure online content for children is appropriate.
3. Gov. Scott vetoed the bill, stating concerns about creating a hostile business environment and First Amendment issues related to the Kids Code part, recommending Vermont adopt Connecticut’s data privacy law and wait for California to resolve legal challenges around similar issues.
4. This veto means Vermont will not implement one of the strongest data privacy protection laws in the US.
5. The issue of data privacy legislation extends beyond Vermont, with 19 US states having passed their own data privacy laws, in addition to the GDPR in the European Union.
6. President Joe Biden has issued an executive order to address how user data is handled nationally and internationally, indicating ongoing efforts to shape federal data privacy policies.
These clear takeaways provide a concise summary of the key points from the meeting notes.