Data Privacy Debate Heats Up on Capitol Hill

The debate over a national data privacy law is gaining steam, The Hill reports.

Both parties in both chambers have begun talking about what a bill would look like. According to the story, industry groups have been urging Congress to adopt a national law that would harmonize the differences in the state “patchwork” landscape that currently exists. This federal preemption issue, the article says, is likely to be a key part of the Congressional debate. Recently, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a model bill that would require businesses to “comply with one nationwide privacy framework, as opposed to having to navigate 50 unique state laws.”

Lawmakers are likely to move quickly on a bill. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said “it’d be nice to have it on the president’s desk this year.”