A House Energy and Commerce Committee markup of 11 bills, including a data privacy bill that was opposed by House Republican leaders, was canceled Thursday morning, shortly before its scheduled start.
The American Privacy Rights Act, which would establish comprehensive federal data privacy rules, was opposed by House leaders despite pressure from committee chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) to quickly move forward on bipartisan legislation.
“For every parent, for individual liberty and for the future of this country, we will continue our quest to give Americans privacy rights online,” said McMorris Rodgers. said in a statement.
McMorris Rodgers led the bicameral effort alongside Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), but the House Republican faced opposition from within her own party.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) told The Hill on Wednesday that “for months” there have been “a lot of concerns expressed about different parts of the bill.”
Scalise pointed to the private right of action the bill would establish, a major priority for Democrats that would allow consumers to seek financial compensation through the courts.
Republicans pushed for the bill to include preemption of state laws, which was included in legislation withdrawn from Thursday’s markup.
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), ranking member of the House Commerce Committee, called the reaction from GOP leaders “outrageous.”
“It is outrageous that Republican leadership would interfere with the Committee’s bipartisan regular order process. I commend President Rodgers for his dedication to giving Americans back control of their data,” Pallone said in a statement.
“This is a terrible problem that Congress needs to solve. It’s too important for the American people not to do this,” he continued. “We will not give up.”
The bill was a long-awaited proposal by privacy advocates, who say they are concerned about the lack of federal privacy rules.
While some states have passed their own data privacy laws, the U.S. government has lagged behind other countries in setting rules in an increasingly digital world.
The committee was scheduled to consider 10 other bills Thursday morning, including the Children’s Online Safety Act. The bill, which would create stricter child safety regulations for technology companies, has more than 60 co-sponsors in the Senate. Advocates have been pressing Congress for years to take action on the issue.
A spokesperson for McMorris Rodgers declined to comment on why the full markup was canceled for all accounts. The president only released a statement on the American Privacy Rights Act after the appointment was canceled.
Updated at 10:46 a.m. ET.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
