Greetings from Portsmouth, New Hampshire!

If you’ve tuned in to the weather this week, you know it’s frigid here in New England, as well as most of the country. We had a short burst of spring weather last weekend that acted as a delightful reminder that pitchers and catchers report for spring training in less than four weeks, which means warmer temperatures and my favorite summer pastime is just around the corner. Suddenly, summer doesn’t seem so far away.

Turning to privacy news, states across the country are ramping up their efforts to pass individual data privacy laws. In Florida, the state Legislature introduced identical bills in both the Senate and House of Representatives. The bill has some similarities to the California Consumer Privacy Act in that it allows for user opt-outs and transparency. On Jan. 8, two days before the Florida Senate introduced its bill, the Virginia Legislature introduced amendments to House Bill 473 that adds a section “relating to the management and oversight of personal data.” Finally, the Nebraska Legislature introduced the Nebraska Consumer Privacy Data Act Jan. 8.

The big news this week in terms of state privacy laws is that Washington reintroduced and held public hearings on the Washington Privacy Act. It was the first public hearing since the previous bill failed to pass in both the House and Senate last year. More than 20 people weighed in with their thoughts about the proposed bill, and you can read the details in the digest below.

We will keep you updated on the status of the above legislation. You can also keep track of what’s happening with state laws with the US State Comprehensive Privacy Law Comparison and US 50-State Statutory and Legislative Charts. Feel free to reach out to us if there is a state law that has been introduced and is not on our list.

2020 is already shaping up to be a busy year!