On Wednesday, Washington took a major step towards becoming the second state to enact broad privacy legislation when its state senate approved the Washington Privacy Act. The bill passed the senate with overwhelming bipartisan support on a vote of 46-1 (with 2 excused). It now moves to the House where a companion bill has been working its way through that chamber. You can read our analysis of the bill here.
Washington is one of numerous states currently considering privacy legislation in the wake of last year’s enactment of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The CCPA’s enactment has even motivated Congress to consider federal privacy legislation. Although it is anyone’s guess how this legislation will play out over the next few months, Washington appears to be well-poised to become the next state to weigh in on how privacy law should develop in this country.