Vermont committee reviews H.342 to limit data-broker disclosure of public servants' contact information

The Vermont House Commerce & Economic Development Committee on March 19 heard hours of testimony on H.342, a proposal to restrict commercial data brokers from disclosing home addresses, phone numbers, license numbers and other personal identifiers for judges, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, public defenders and other designated public servants.

The bill drew support from privacy scholars and public-safety advocates who said easy access to personal data is being used to intimidate and threaten public servants. Industry representatives and some witnesses warned the measure, as currently written, could create unintended legal and operational consequences, including a surge of private lawsuits and gaps in fraud- and identity‑verification services.

H.342 would give a covered person — or an authorized agent acting on their behalf — the right to notify a data broker and require the broker to “cease disclosing” protected information within a set period. The House Judiciary Committee, which held prior hearings and forwarded recommendations to the Commerce & Economic Development Committee, flagged several technical and scope issues for lawmakers to consider before any final vote.

Rick Sadel of the Office of Legislative Counsel walked members through key definitions and mechanics in the draft. He said the bill would apply to businesses that “knowingly collect and sell, license, or otherwise broker personal information of a consumer with whom the business does not have a direct relationship,” and that government agencies would not be covered as data brokers. He explained the authorized‑agent provision and how it is intended to work: “So this allows a covered person to if they don't wanna deal with the paperwork or whatever else, of having their information removed, they could hire a person or a company to do that for them.”

Justin Sherman, a privacy…