The SLASH Prices Act requires businesses that sell goods or services to clearly inform customers when prices are set by an algorithm using their personal data. Companies must display this notice prominently next to the price and provide an easy way for consumers to opt out of personalized pricing without facing discrimination or higher rates. The law exempts certain sectors like insurance and credit, as well as dynamic pricing based on real-time market conditions or delivery distance, and gives the Federal Trade Commission authority to enforce these rules.
The Stop Spying Bosses Act establishes new federal rules to limit how employers collect, use, and share data about their employees and job applicants. This legislation directly affects private businesses with 11 or more workers, government agencies, and their employees by prohibiting the gathering of sensitive information such as biometric data, political views, or off-duty activities without a specific, disclosed business need. Key provisions require employers to clearly inform workers about what data is being collected and how it is used, grant employees the right to access and correct their personal records, and ban the sale of employee data to third parties. The bill also creates a new Worker Protection and Technology Division within the Department of Labor to oversee compliance and provides legal protections for workers who report violations, including the right to sue for damages and prohibiting forced arbitration for such disputes.
The Marketplace Fraud Accountability Act requires the healthcare.gov website to use multi-factor authentication for users enrolling in health plans or accessing their personal enrollment data. This security measure, which involves verifying identity through at least two methods like passwords and biometrics, must be implemented within one year of the bill's enactment. The law includes an exception for individuals who lack access to broadband or cellular service or cannot otherwise use this technology. By strengthening identity verification, the bill aims to protect consumer information while maintaining access for those with connectivity limitations.
The Health and Location Data Protection Act of 2026 prohibits data brokers from buying, selling, or sharing specific types of personal information, including an individual's health data and location history. This ban applies to any entity that resells data it did not collect directly from the person, though it allows exceptions for actions compliant with existing HIPAA rules, newsworthy reporting, and disclosures where the individual has given valid consent. The Federal Trade Commission is tasked with defining exactly what counts as "data" and issuing final rules within 180 days of the law's enactment. Violations of these restrictions can lead to enforcement actions by the FTC, state attorneys general, or private individuals, potentially resulting in civil penalties of up to 15 percent of the violator's annual revenue. The legislation also includes a funding provision that appropriates $1 billion to the FTC for fiscal year 2027 to support its work under this act.
This bill establishes a pilot program under the National Institute of Standards and Technology to test voluntary methods for disclosing when content is generated or manipulated by artificial intelligence. The program requires the NIST Director to work with private companies, civil society, and academia to evaluate how users can be informed about AI interactions and to develop guidelines for such disclosures. Upon completion, the NIST Director must submit a report to Congress detailing the program's findings and offering recommendations for future action. The legislation defines key terms like artificial intelligence and content provenance to ensure clarity in the pilot's scope. Ultimately, the bill aims to explore voluntary industry standards rather than mandating immediate legal requirements for AI labeling.
This bill directs the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to conduct a comprehensive study on various broadband internet technologies, including fiber-optic cables, satellite systems, and mobile wireless networks. The study will examine specific factors such as workforce needs, deployment costs, internet speed and latency, equipment lifespan, and monthly subscription prices for consumers. The findings will be compiled into a report submitted to Congress within one year of the bill's enactment to inform future policy decisions regarding broadband infrastructure.
The Gun Safety Innovation Opportunity Act of 2026 creates a new grant program to fund research and development of advanced safe firearm storage devices by institutions of higher education and firearms manufacturers. These grants, totaling up to $10 million annually from 2027 to 2030, are intended to support technologies that use biometric data or other security measures to prevent unauthorized access to guns and to study how consumers might adopt such devices. To receive funding, applicants must submit detailed plans explaining how their technology will enhance community safety and increase affordability for users. Additionally, the bill requires the Attorney General to submit a report to Congress within a year of enactment, outlining potential ways to support this technology development and its use by law enforcement to prevent suicide.
The CONSENT Act establishes a federal civil remedy for individuals who receive unsolicited intimate visual depictions, such as non-consensual deepfakes, sent via interstate commerce. It defines consent as a voluntary authorization free from coercion and specifically prohibits the transmission of intimate digital forgeries created using artificial intelligence or other technological means. Victims can sue senders for up to $1,000 in statutory damages, emotional distress compensation, and court-ordered injunctions to stop the behavior, while also allowing minors to file under a pseudonym for privacy. The law explicitly excludes good faith transmissions for medical, educational, or law enforcement purposes and states that it does not override existing criminal laws or First Amendment rights.
The Email Privacy Act amends federal law to clarify how electronic communication providers must handle user data disclosures and government requests. It changes the definition of when a provider can share information, ensuring that voluntary disclosures are limited to the people involved in the communication or their agents, and it updates the terminology used to describe how data is stored. The bill also modifies the rules for government access, requiring warrants for obtaining the contents of stored communications and allowing providers to notify users about certain warrants and legal requests. Additionally, the legislation includes specific exceptions for communications related to public advertisements and ensures that the act does not restrict Congress's power to issue subpoenas.
This bill instructs Congress to reject a specific rule issued by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection that sought to cancel an earlier regulation on how credit reporting agencies match names. By disapproving this withdrawal, the legislation effectively keeps the original "Name-Only Matching Procedures" rule in place, requiring agencies to continue using those specific methods for verifying consumer identities. The measure directly impacts credit reporting companies and financial institutions that rely on these identity verification standards. If passed, the rule attempting to change the matching process will have no legal effect, maintaining the status quo for name-based identity checks.
