Greetings from Portsmouth, NH!

We’re suffering from the winter doldrums here in Portsmouth. I know I don’t speak for everyone, but it is safe to say there are a number of us who are eager for longer stretches of daylight and warm weather.

While another federal privacy bill was introduced Feb. 19, states have not been idle, either. New Hampshire legislators are considering a comprehensive privacy bill similar to the California Consumer Privacy Act, and in Washington state, the Senate overwhelmingly passed the Washington Privacy Act with a vote of 46-1. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives, where last year’s version of the bill failed to pass. As I write this letter, the House is holding its first public hearing on the topic. We are all waiting to see if the House approves the bill as is, which means it will head to the governor next or if they will want to see significant changes first. We’ll have the details of the hearing for you next week.

While some states may not be considering statewide privacy bills, they are introducing other bills related to bolstering individual protections. In Iowa, Sen. Zach Nunn, R-Altoona, introduced a “right to be forgotten bill” that would, if approved, allow citizens to request their data be removed from the internet. In Wyoming, lawmakers proposed three separate bills that would regulate certain aspects of the internet. One proposal would have held internet service providers accountable for protecting users' personal information. The bill failed, but the others have passed into second readings.

As always, check our newly updated “US State Comprehensive Privacy Law Comparison” table. If you are aware of a proposed state bill that is missing from our table, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

A reminder, too, that we’re working on the latest version of the Privacy Tech Vendor Report. We would like vendors to update their profiles by Feb. 27 to ensure our directory is updated. New to the report? No problem, you can fill out the form, too. The form can be found here.

It looks like a large part of the country is going to be hit by winter storms this weekend, stay safe and remember that spring is less than 30 days away.