On Tuesday, May 13, 2025, Speaker Brett Guthrie (R-Kentucky) arrives at the Rayburn Building for the House Energy and Commerce Markup on the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Resolution.
Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call Inc. | Getty Images
Two data privacy bills introduced Wednesday and first shared with CNBC would pre-empt nearly two dozen state laws and create national standards restricting how tech and financial companies handle user data.
These bills, the SECURE Data Act focused on technology companies and the GUARD Financial Data Act focused on financial services businesses, are designed to work together to form a single national standard. House Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill (R-Ark.) have expressed support for the bill, which will likely provide momentum for the first vote next month.
Guthrie said in a statement to CNBC that the SECURE Act “ends a confusing patchwork of state-by-state laws that are failing consumers and small businesses alike.” He added that the measure would be similar to certain bills already passed in states such as Kentucky.
In addition to preempting state law, the bill would allow people to access, correct and delete their personal data, as well as opt out of targeted advertising and data sales, according to the bill text first seen by CNBC.
Neither bill would allow Democrats to sue companies for data privacy violations, as they have advocated in past data privacy bills.
Congress has repeatedly attempted over the past few years to strike the right balance when it comes to data privacy protections. Previous efforts have struggled to gain broad support due to differences between Republicans and Democrats, as well as divisions within the party. Two years ago, a planned vote on a data privacy bill in the Energy and Commerce Committee died in the 11th hour after many Republicans blocked it.
Gasly is trying to avoid that this time. Last year, he gathered support from Republican lawmakers to form a special committee to hear their opinions. The strategy, according to committee staff, is to first ensure Republicans have enough votes to advance the bill in committee, then work to gain Democratic support. The House Financial Services Committee is using a similar tactic.
