Congress eyes new online privacy bills ahead of 2024 elections

WASHINGTON — The presidential election is a little more than five months away, but key Republicans and Democrats in Congress see a critical window to pass sweeping legislation to shield the online data of both children and adults from Big Tech companies.

“I believe that there’s a moment here where, on behalf of the American people, Congress needs to act,” House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., said in an interview on the steps of the Capitol.

“There’s a recognition, on behalf of protecting our kids online, in protecting all Americans, that we need to ensure that there are privacy rights in place … and that our identity is being protected online and that we’re in control of our data," she said.

The Energy and Commerce subcommittee that oversees online data will take the first step in trying to advance the privacy legislation, holding a markup Thursday on the American Privacy Rights Act, broad legislation that includes privacy protections for kids and adults, as well as the Kids Online Safety Act.

The bills would head to the full Energy and Commerce Committee in June before possible votes on the House floor.

McMorris Rodgers, who is close to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Johnson has not committed to holding a floor vote on the privacy bill. But it’s expected to have strong bipartisan support given that she worked on it for months with a fellow powerful Washington state lawmaker, Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, a Democrat.

Listen to McMorris Rodgers’ interview on the "Chuck Toddcast" here.

A revised draft bill was announced this week to address critics’ concerns.

The American Privacy Rights Act would create national consumer data privacy rights and set federal