CPPA Board Votes Unanimously to Support Four California Privacy Bills

The California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) Board voted unanimously to support four California privacy bills during their recent board meeting on Friday, July 14. Each bill, in its current form, supports the CPPA’s mission of protecting the privacy rights of Californians.

Assembly Bill 947, introduced by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, would define sensitive personal information for purposes of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) to include personal information that reveals a consumer’s citizenship or immigration status.

Assembly Bill 1194, introduced by Assemblymember Wendy Carillo, provides that certain exemptions to the CCPA do not apply if the consumer’s personal information contains information related to accessing, procuring, or searching for services regarding contraception, pregnancy care, and perinatal care, including abortion services. This bill is in alignment with California’s commitment to strengthen reproductive privacy protections.

Assembly Bill 1546, introduced by Assemblymember Gabriel, would require a civil action by the California Attorney General to enforce the CCPA to begin within five years of the violation, consistent with the CPPA’s statute of limitations for administrative actions.

Senate Bill 362, introduced by Senator Josh Becker, would amend California’s Data Broker Registry Law to transfer administration and rulemaking authority over the data broker registry from the Department of Justice to the CPPA. This bill would also direct the CPPA to establish an accessible deletion mechanism to allow a consumer to, in a single request, ask that all data brokers delete their personal information.

In addition, the board voted to take a support if amended position on Senate Bill 544, introduced by Senator John Laird. This bill, as proposed to be amended, would make permanent an exemption allowing state bodies to conduct some of their meetings via teleconference. The board indicated while this is an important step, allowing all meetings to take place remotely would have invaluable benefits for the public. It would also allow board members with disabilities and other constraints, such as childcare needs, to serve on state boards and commissions.

The recording of the complete board meeting, which includes a discussion on each bill, can be viewed on YouTube. All meeting materials from the July 14 board meeting can be found on the Meeting Records page.