President Biden’s Cabinet Signs the Protect Our Privacy Act into Law

The presidential cabinet voted by wide margin (19-0-6) to pass the Protect Our Privacy (POP) act. The act will codify the rulings of Obergefell v. Hodges, Griswold v. Connecticut, Texas v. Lawrence, and Loving v. Virginia, as well as require internet companies to disclose their data collection to the Federal Communications Commission.

The bill includes additional protections for same-sex and interracial couples, stating that the government cannot penalize or deny the full faith and credit of any same-sex or interracial relationships. Additionally, the bill protects legal entities from government penalization regarding the provision of contraceptives to consenting adults. The bill’s third section will require companies to submit bi-annual reports regarding data collection to the FCC.

A bipartisan group of senators introduced the Protect Our Privacy act to the Presidential Cabinet this evening. Iowa’s senior senator, Chuck Grassley, gave a passionate argument in favor of the POP act, stating that “we will not go backwards” on american civil rights. Grassley expanded on the need for privacy rights, stating that his constituents deserve to live free of “government overreach” in their private relationships.

Although controversy emerged regarding Section 3 of POP, Privacy in Data Collection, and potential amendments were discussed to clarify enforcement of accountability reports, the cabinet members expressed fears that adding amendments to the bill would result in the bill being stalled; the cabinet voted to begin voting procedures.

Following the bill’s signing, Senator Alex Padilla expressed his satisfaction at the cabinet’s decision, stating in an interview that “it’s a great step forward, protecting all Americans [from] all walks of life.” Padilla, one of the bill’s authors, explained his hopes that this bill’s success may encourage future bipartisan efforts in legislation.

This article was written by Mary Claire McGreivey.