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NSPS outlined a consumer privacy bill introduced earlier this month by Senate Republicans in News and Views last week. A competing bill (S. 3749/H.R. 6866) was introduced recently by Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Reps. Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and Suzan DelBene (D-WA) titled the "Public Health Emergency Privacy Act" to set strong and enforceable privacy and data security rights for health information. The bill would ensure that data collected for public health is strictly limited for use in public health; prevent the potential misuse of health data by government agencies with no role in public health; and give the public control over their participation in these efforts by mandating meaningful transparency and requiring opt-in consent. It has no impact on traditional surveying and GIS services. NSPS’s lobbyist John “JB†Byrd and consultant John Palatiello continue to educate Congress on the nature of the work performed by surveyors and other geospatial practitioners to minimize any effect on the profession of a health-related or comprehensive consumer privacy bill. NSPS has an adopted guideline on consumer privacy and geographic information.
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