StateScoop: Maine could have strongest data privacy law in nation if bill passes   

O’Neil told StateScoop last year that it’s on states to enact privacy protections as long as the federal government does not. Her proposed legislation is modeled largely after the federal data privacy bill that failed in Congress in 2022, the American Data Privacy and Protection Act. StateScoop reached out to O’Neil for comment on her new bill, but did not heard back in time for publication. 

…O’Neil’s bill also features a private right of action, allowing individuals to recoup $5,000 in damages from companies that violate the bill. This legal protection, along with its “data minimization” obligations that prevents companies from collecting unnecessary information, is why the bill could go on to be the only privacy law on the books to earn an “A” grade from the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, two research groups that last week released a report finding most states’ privacy laws offer limited protections for consumers. 

They evaluated 14 data privacy laws for their strengths and weaknesses and assigned letter grades to each. The highest scoring law, the California Consumer Protection Act, earned a “B+”, while the Connecticut Data Privacy Act, which Keim’s bill is most similar to, earned only a “D.” 

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