Vermont committee reviews H.342 to let judges, law enforcement and others force data brokers to stop disclosing home contact information

On April 16, members of the Vermont House Judiciary committee reviewed H.342, a bill that would let judges, prosecutors, law‑enforcement officers, specified court and social‑service employees and their immediate family members request that data brokers stop disclosing protected personal information such as home address, home phone, email address, Social Security and driver’s‑license numbers, and license‑plate information.

The bill, described to the committee as modeled on laws in other states and on recent New Jersey legislation, would require a covered person (or an authorized agent) to send a prescribed notice to a data broker. If the broker continues to disclose the listed information more than 15 days after receiving that notice, the attorney general may investigate and seek civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation; the covered person may bring a private civil action for liquidated damages of $1,000 per violation plus attorney’s fees, with potential punitive damages for willful or reckless conduct.

Representative Priestley, who presented the bill in committee, said the measure grew from concerns about retaliation against public officials and court personnel and that the aim was to reduce near‑term risks to people in high‑risk positions. “I went on Spokeo for 95¢ and bought…access to everybody’s home addresses,” Representative Priestley said, illustrating how easily some personal data can be purchased online. Committee members credited a New Jersey case and related legislation as part of the bill’s inspiration.