The House Energy and Commerce Committee suddenly canceled discussions and votes on 11 bills, including the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA) and the Children’s Online Safety Act (KOSA).
According to reporters at the scene, the committee did not provide a reason for the cancellation in the online notice, and committee members seemed surprised by the change. But disagreements with Republican House leadership on the bill appear to have played a role, according to recent reports and top Democrats on the committee. Some Republican House members have recently expressed concerns about the bill. Politico It was reported last week that a top aide to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Los Angeles) said an earlier version of APRA would not receive a floor vote in its current form, even if it passed committee.
If the hike goes ahead as planned, the future of the bill already looks more uncertain than it did just a few months ago. The latest version of APRA, released last week, was met with fierce opposition from groups including civil rights groups and industry players.
In a statement after the schedule change was announced, E&C Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) released a statement on the X but did not directly address the cancellation. “For the sake of every parent, for the sake of individual freedom, and for the future of this country, we will continue to work to give Americans the right to privacy online,” Rogers said. “This is not the way the House should operate,” she said during an interview with reporters on Capitol Hill. That’s not how this place is supposed to be run. She added that the committee voted on the bill earlier this week, but “there was a lot of input from leadership, especially from several offices, and we just needed to give it some time. “
But veteran Assemblyman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) placed the blame squarely on Republican leadership for blocking the increase. “It is outrageous that Republican leadership has interfered with the committee’s regular bipartisan order process,” Pallone said in a statement. “I applaud Chairman Rogers for his commitment to giving Americans back control of their data.” He said, He remains committed to working with Rogers on privacy issues, adding: “We will not give up. The Energy and Commerce Committee is the only committee willing to stand up to Big Tech on behalf of the American people.”
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), who co-sponsored APRA with Pallone, Rogers and Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), said in a statement that she was “concerned about the Republican leadership.” “We are angry that the government is taking orders from big tech companies and special interests” by destroying the mark. “The U.S. Privacy Act provides consumers with basic data privacy rights. Making American families wait any longer is unacceptable.
Scalise told The Hill on Wednesday that “a lot of concerns have been expressed about different parts of the bill,” including actions around private rights that would allow individuals to sue for alleged privacy violations. “It is time for Americans to take better control of their online privacy, especially for the safety of our children,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Los Angeles) wrote in a statement Thursday. Consensus on data privacy bill. According to CNBC, Johnson recently told Rogers and other Republican lawmakers that he wanted to enact a privacy bill, but APRA brought too many concerns.
The cancellation is a blow to national privacy hopes that came just a few months ago when Rogers and Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) unveiled draft APRA Had a surprising resurgence. The two quietly worked on the legislation after an earlier compromise bill, the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA), stalled without Cantwell’s support.
While the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has been generally welcomed since its debut, recently revised versions of the bill have triggered a wave of backlash from various political interest groups. Earlier this week, more than 50 civil society groups wrote to council leaders urging them to delay the increase in order to return civil rights and algorithm review provisions to their latest versions. “Without restoring the civil rights provisions, the bill should not move forward,” wrote the groups, which include the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Tech industry groups also opposed the latest version of the bill. Carl Holshouser, executive vice president of TechNet, which represents companies including Apple, Google, Meta and OpenAI, told committee leaders that APRA could “undermine the United States’ global competitiveness or leadership in emerging technologies.” Holshauser added that it could penalize companies that “simply try to provide consumers with a personalized online experience or work to improve and develop new products and services.” TechNet said the bill doesn’t do enough to preempt state laws or prevent individual consumers from filing too many lawsuits.
Chris Mohr, president of the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA), which represents the professional information industry, applauded the removal of “provisions regarding civil rights and coverage algorithms” from the latest version, but noted that “significant issues” remain. Moore said the definition of sensitive material covered, including protections for contextual advertising and restrictions, was too broad. “It is critical that federal privacy legislation is done correctly and not just passed quickly,” he said in a statement. “Lawmakers should continue working to ensure online experiences are safe and responsibly regulated.”
It looks like these groups will now get their wish.
