As we wind toward adjournment things are heating up on a few issues: CTE changes and a new issue, Data Privacy. The adjournment date is set for May 10th.
Career Technical Education Improvements—S.304
The Senate passed S.304 after removing an appropriation for a new employee at the Agency of Education; the bill passed on a unanimous voice vote. It now sits with the House Education Committee which we hope will schedule hearings next week. At our VRLDA Lobby Day at the Statehouse (April 16th), members were able to talk directly to numerous legislators about the importance of CTE updates included in the bill. The next few weeks will determine the fate of this bill; we are working on it daily.
Municipal Overweight Permitting
As discussed last month, the Department of Motor Vehicles has now hired a computer system contractor to build their online permitting system. System implementation is planned for late summer, 2025. That system will have the capacity to apply for municipal permits as well as state permits.
Data Privacy- H.121
At the request of the chamber of commerce and the retail grocers, your legislative committee reviewed H.121 as it passed the House late last month. As it arrived in the Senate Economic Development Committee, it would have given a private right of action to customers who felt their data was used inappropriately by a business. In the few states with a private right of action (Illinois and California) it has been abused by trial attorneys who shake down businesses for substantial amounts of money. For example one Vermont business had to pay $100,000 to settle a claim in California based on sales of $2,000 worth of licorice. H.121 would require businesses with more than 6500 customers/year to comply.
The goals in the Senate are to increase the threshold from 6,500/yr to at least 25,000/yr (NH just passed 35,000); remove video security from the definition of biometric data; and remove the private right of action. The latest draft of the bill in the Senate committee does all of these—whether it will withstand the next few weeks remains to be seen.