Senator Jake Olivera urged the Joint Committee on Higher Education to advance legislation that would shield directory information for students at public colleges and universities from data-mining and commercial resale. Olivera said private-college students do not face the same exposure to public-record requests and that the proposed change would better protect privacy and prevent unwanted solicitations or government uses.

Why it matters: Olivera argued the current practice exposes public-student contact data to third parties and that protections should match private institutions' practices. He said the legislation would prevent companies from buying, selling or scraping student directory information and could also be tailored to limit access by nonessential entities.

Olivera framed the policy as protecting students and families from being marketed to or having their information shared; he said work already underway with the secretary of state's office had tried to limit uses such as jury-duties while preserving official purposes. "Directory information for students who attend our 29 public colleges and universities are protected, cannot be data mined, cannot be cultivated for any type of purposes," Olivera told the committee. He signaled willingness to refine language, including how the bill treats campus foundations, and said he would work with leaders to ensure the changes do not interfere with lawful government uses.

Representative Michelle Badger asked whether the bill would impede campus foundations that use alumni data to fundraise; Olivera said foundations are typically separate nonprofit entities and could be included or excluded by drafting choices. Committee members requested technical follow-up on exemptions for federal, state and municipal agencies and advised coordination with campus legal offices and the secretary of state.

Ending: The senator offered to work with committee staff and campus stakeholders to craft language that protects student privacy while preserving necessary government functions such as jury lists; no committee action was taken at the hearing.