In August, the Insights Association tussled with more state and federal privacy legislation, laws and regulation; considered the implications of COVID-19-related mandates for employers; analyzed pending changes to the pharmaceutical industry’s restrictions on interactions with doctors; and opposed a potential federal tax on companies operating online. We’re also nearing the finish line in our campaign to fix the California law requiring a minimum wage for research subjects.

In July, the Insights Association lamented more new state privacy laws while issuing helpful CCPA compliance information for members; welcomed an important data security protection in Connecticut; endorsed a new nominee to run the Census Bureau; and continued to advance a fix to the 2020 California law requiring a minimum wage for research subjects.

The GOP leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee and House Energy & Commerce Committee recently called upon the Biden Administration “to work with Congress to enact a nationwide consumer data privacy law.”

This month, the Insights Association is dealing with new state privacy and data security laws, funding for the census, how insights offices can approach reopening as the pandemic ends, and a variety of other policy concerns, while helping to advance a fix to California A.B. 2257 through the state legislature.

This month, the Insights Association is dealing with new privacy legislation in more states, addressing more data tax problems, advocating for additional census funding, and making significant progress in efforts to improve California A.B. 2257.

Even “while the benefits of data are immense,” the risks are high, too, warned Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-MS) as he argued for a national privacy law.

The insights industry scored important legislative victories in the last month for pharmaceutical MR in Pennsylvania, data security in Utah, and more COVID-19 small business loans and grants at the federal level and in California. At the same time, we’re staring down lots of problematic legislation, including a new comprehensive data privacy law in Virginia and a complex excise tax on data collection in New York. Meanwhile, advocacy continues on issues like: California A.B. 2257; worrisome legislation in Congress that would allow for the unionization of research subjects; limitations on coronavirus-related exposure liability; the census; and restrictions on exit polling.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D) signed comprehensive privacy legislation, the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (CDPA), into law on March 2, 2021. The new law emulates aspects of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

February may have the fewest days, but this month certainly is not short on legislative activity pertinent to the insights community, including comprehensive privacy bills, data security legislation, new taxes on the industry, liability limitation for COVID-19-related exposure, new leadership to oversee the census, and new rules for determining independent contractor status. Changes are also in the works for California A.B. 2257.

The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) released a report on the European Union's data protection strategy for the next four years, regarding the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other issues.