Strong Privacy, Workable Policy: The Real Debate Around Vermont’s Data Privacy Bill
Vermont Can Protect Privacy Without Hurting Vermont Businesses
The Vermont Chamber of Commerce supports meaningful consumer data privacy protections. Vermonters deserve more control over their personal information, and businesses benefit when consumers trust how their data is handled.
The question before lawmakers is not whether Vermont should protect consumer privacy. It should.
The question is whether Vermont adopts a strong, workable privacy law that aligns with other New England states, or whether it moves forward with first-in-the-nation provisions that have not been tested anywhere else.
What the Senate-Passed Bill Does
S.71, as passed by the Senate, gives Vermonters major new privacy rights. Under the bill, consumers would have the right to:
- Know if a business is collecting their personal data
- Correct inaccurate personal information
- Ask for their personal data to be deleted
- Get a copy of the data a business has collected about them
- Opt out of targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, and certain profiling activities
The Senate-passed bill also requires businesses to follow security practices that protect the confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility of personal data.
Why This Matters for Vermont
Vermont businesses are not asking for no privacy law. They are asking for a law that protects consumers while also being clear, fair, and possible to follow.
Many Vermont businesses use basic digital tools to reach customers, sell products, promote events, process transactions, recruit workers, and compete in a modern economy. These are not abstract “Big Tech” companies. They are local employers, nonprofits, retailers, manufacturers, tourism businesses, service providers, and community organizations.
Concerns With the House Draft
The House proposal includes new provisions that go far beyond privacy laws in nearby states like Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.
These changes could:
- Pull small businesses and nonprofits into complex regulations
- Remove opportunities for businesses to fix mistakes before facing penalties
- Create unclear legal standards that have not been tested in any other state
- Restrict common digital tools local businesses use to communicate with customers
- Increase legal risk and compliance costs for Vermont organizations
Strong privacy protections and workable rules are not mutually exclusive. Vermont can do both.
Vermont Businesses Are Speaking for Themselves
More than 100 Vermont businesses and organizations signed a letter urging the House to advance S.71 as passed by the Senate and reject novel, untested provisions.
These are Vermont employers and organizations raising real implementation concerns. They deserve to be heard in the legislative process.
The Bottom Line
This is not a choice between privacy and no privacy.
S.71 as passed by the Senate provides meaningful consumer protections, regional consistency, and a clear path for compliance.
The Vermont Chamber urges lawmakers to support the Senate-passed version of S.71 and reject novel provisions that could create unintended consequences for Vermont businesses, nonprofits, and communities.