Hickenlooper Backs Cantwell-Rodgers Bill as Privacy Law Foundation

The American Privacy Rights Act is “an important bipartisan compromise” Congress can use as a foundation for passing a federal privacy law (see 2404160034), Senate Data Security Subcommittee Chairman John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., said Wednesday during a subcommittee hearing on protecting consumer data. Introduced by Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., APRA provides a strong federal standard with data minimization rules, Hickenlooper said, so companies aren’t collecting “everything they can.” He noted states aren’t waiting for Congress on privacy. Indeed,16 states, including Colorado, have passed or are in the process of approving privacy laws. Without a federal privacy law, the U.S. risks further ceding its authority to states and foreign governments, which is creating regulatory “headaches” for businesses, ranking member Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said.