On February 12, 2025, House Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Vice Chairman John Joyce, M.D. (R-PA) issued a press release announcing the formation of a comprehensive data privacy working group.
This marks the first notable federal legislative step forward on privacy since a full House Commerce Committee markup of the American Privacy Rights Act of 2024 (APRA), scheduled for June 27, 2024, was cancelled at the last minute. For more on the fate of the APRA, please see my year-end comprehensive recap of developments at both the federal and state levels, "2024 Data Privacy Legislative Review: Federal Lawmakers Fall Short As More State Laws Gain Teeth," a December 2024 Perspectives from FSF Scholars.
In the press release, Chairman Guthrie and Vice Chairman Joyce stated that:
We strongly believe that a national data privacy standard is necessary to protect Americans' rights online and maintain our country's global leadership in digital technologies, including artificial intelligence. That's why we are creating this working group, to bring members and stakeholders together to explore a framework for legislation that can get across the finish line…. The need for comprehensive data privacy is greater than ever, and we are hopeful that we can start building a strong coalition to address this important issue.
They also encouraged interested parties to engage with the working group by sending an email to PrivacyWorkingGroup@mail.house.gov.
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