Published: April 2022
Efforts at the federal level to pass U.S. privacy legislation have been ongoing for years, with dozens of privacy-related bills having worked their ways through the halls of Congress. Numerous legislators from across the aisles have worked together on legislation addressing all facets of privacy, from individual rights and business obligations, to special protections for sensitive information and access, to records by law enforcement, to emerging technologies, such as facial recognition and artificial intelligence.
The IAPP Research and Insights team tracks and organizes the privacy-related bills proposed in Congress to keep our members informed of developments within the federal privacy landscape. The “US Federal Privacy Legislation Tracker” includes proposed legislation organized by topic and summarizes the key parts of each bill to shed light on the most impactful provisions. The table also illustrates which bills would preempt state law or enable enforcement of a private right of action, two of the most contentious and closely watched issues within the federal privacy law debate. Each bill is color-coded based on the party affiliation of its sponsors and cosponsors.
The Westin Research Center will periodically update this table. If you are aware of a proposed federal bill that is absent from our list, please share it with us at research@iapp.org.
The IAPP Resource Center also hosts a "US Federal Privacy" topic page, which provides a curated collection of news and resources covering federal privacy.
Topics
To view privacy-related bills on a particular topic, click below. To view the entire US Federal Privacy Legislation Tracker for the 117th Congress (2021-2022), click here.
• Consumer Privacy
• Health Privacy
• Financial Privacy
• Children's and Educational Privacy
• FTC Authority and Enforcement
• Government Restrictions and Obligations
• Cybersecurity
US Federal Privacy Legislation Tracker
Introduced in the 117th Congress (2021-2022)
LEGEND: Democratic sponsors only | Republican sponsors only | Bipartisan sponsors
Sen. = Senator | Rep. = Representative
The bills in the table below establish various consumer rights and business obligations related to privacy. Although they range in scope, their key provisions involve issues such as notice and transparency; opt-in/opt-out consent; rights to access, correction, deletion and data portability; protections for sensitive information; and the designation of privacy officers. Within each table, bills are ordered by number or earliest by date of introduction, starting with bills in the U.S. Senate. The table also indicates whether each bill includes a provision that would preempt state law or establish a private right of action.
The bills in the table below all involve the regulation of health or genetic information or consumer devices, software or applications that collect and process health information, protections for data related to COVID-19 or restrictions/prohibitions on the use of “vaccine passports.” Bills are ordered by number or earliest by date of introduction, starting with bills in the U.S. Senate.
The bills in the table below involve financial or taxpayer privacy protections or impose additional requirements or prohibitions on the U.S. Internal Revenue Service or Secretary of the Treasury with respect to the privacy of financial information. Bills are ordered by number or earliest by date of introduction, starting with bills in the U.S. Senate.
The privacy bills in the table below relate to the privacy of children or students and amend the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 or the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. Bills are ordered by number or earliest by date of introduction, starting with bills in the U.S. Senate.
The bills in the table below all impose additional requirements on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, expand its scope or authority, or establish an agency with a similar but narrower privacy enforcement mission. Bills are ordered by number or earliest by date of introduction, starting with bills in the U.S. Senate.
The bills in the table below involve various restrictions or obligations on U.S. governmental agencies or entities. Bills are ordered by number or earliest by date of introduction, starting with bills in the U.S. Senate.
The bills in the table below are related to cybersecurity. Bills are ordered by number or earliest by date of introduction, starting with bills in the U.S. Senate.
