House Commerce panel posts S.71 amendment resetting privacy bill, tightening data-broker and threshold language

MONTPELIER, Vt. — The Vermont House Committee on Commerce & Economic Development circulated a committee amendment to S.71 on May 30 that largely restores the bill to the text of H.208 while changing several key thresholds and clarifying how data-broker and ‘‘direct relationship’’ rules apply.

The amendment "resets to where 71 started when it was in the senate," said Praneeth, legislative staff, describing the package to the committee. He said the change was intended to make the bill closer to H.208 so interested parties would be more willing to testify.

The amendment keeps a fixed applicability threshold of 25,000 consumer data points per year rather than the phased step-down previously proposed. It raises the private right of action threshold for ‘‘large data holders’’ from an earlier 100,000 Vermonters per year to 200,000 Vermonters per year, and it increases an annual revenue exemption from $25,000,000 to $500,000,000.

Praneeth also told the committee the amendment restores language from H.208 clarifying how data minimization interacts with advertising provisions and carries forward the private right of action.

The draft adds…