U.S. Lawmakers Revive Push for National Data Privacy Law

House Republicans introduced two federal data privacy bills on April 22, 2026.

The landscape of U.S. data privacy law may soon shift, as House Republicans introduced the SECURE Data Act and GUARD Financial Data Act on April 22, 2026. These measures mark a significant new chapter in long-standing efforts to pass a comprehensive national privacy statute.

• The SECURE Data Act aims to streamline enforcement by vesting authority in the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general.
• The GUARD Financial Data Act proposes major updates to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, enhancing consumer protections for financial data in response to digital-era risks.

A House Energy and Commerce Committee memo states these bills would "provide the American people more control over their data and set clear rules." Committee staff call the measures a "clean slate and restart to privacy negotiations," reflecting input from hundreds of stakeholders.

This renewed push comes as the U.S. privacy landscape grows more fragmented. Twenty states now have comprehensive consumer privacy laws, up from just a handful a few years ago. In 2025 alone, eight new state laws took effect—including in Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Tennessee, Minnesota, and Maryland, per Jenner & Block.

Previous federal efforts, like the American Privacy Rights Act of 2024, failed to advance past initial stages. With new bills on the table promising centralized rules and oversight, legal observers say this could be a pivotal moment for national privacy policy.

Yes, but: Specific details of the new federal bills and their legislative prospects remain unclear.