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Read. Follow. Verify.Vermont House Bill 360 Establishes Privacy Protections and Restrictions for Mobile Identification Use
Last action · February 26, 2025: Read first time and referred to the Committee on Commerce and Economic DevelopmentSponsors: Monique Priestley and 8 others
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What This Bill Would Do
The Vermont General Assembly introduced House Bill 360 to establish comprehensive privacy protections for individuals using mobile identification credentials, effective July 1, 2025. The bill restricts government agencies and private entities from retaining tracking data, taking physical possession of user devices, or conditioning goods and services on mobile ID access. It also grants the Attorney General, State's Attorneys, and private individuals the right to bring enforcement actions and sue for damages.
Residents gain explicit legal rights to control what personal data is shared via mobile IDs and can sue for statutory damages of $2,500 for negligent violations or $5,000 for intentional violations, while businesses face strict limits on data collection and device handling.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Mobile identification holders
Mobile ID holders gain explicit consent rights over data disclosure, protection against device seizure by law enforcement, and the right to sue for statutory damages for privacy violations.
Law enforcement officers
Law enforcement officers are legally prohibited from taking physical possession of a mobile ID holder's device to verify identity.
Digital services providers and app developers
Providers are restricted from accessing, collecting, retaining, or sharing mobile ID data beyond what is strictly necessary to comply with law.
Private entities and businesses
Businesses are barred from conditioning goods or services on mobile ID access and face potential enforcement actions by the Attorney General and private civil lawsuits.
Key Facts
- The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles is authorized to issue mobile identifications that provide both full and limited profiles, to be held in addition to nonmobile credentials.
- Access to a mobile identification verification system requires the holder's explicit consent.
- Verification systems are prohibited from sharing or retaining information regarding persons who accessed data or the locations where data was accessed.
- Law enforcement officers and the Department or State entities are prohibited from taking physical possession of a user's device to verify identity or access mobile IDs.
Show all 10 facts
- Digital service providers and verification system operators are barred from collecting, retaining, or sharing mobile ID data except as necessary to comply with law.
- Businesses cannot condition the offer or use of goods or services on mobile ID or credential access, except for transactions requiring proof of age/identity by law, financial services, or medical services.
- Businesses cannot charge different prices or provide different service quality based on whether an individual presents a mobile ID or nonmobile credential.
- The Attorney General or a State's Attorney may bring an action against a private entity for violations under unfair trade practices statutes.
- Aggrieved individuals may bring a civil action in Superior Court seeking damages equal to $2,500 for negligent violations or $5,000 for intentional violations, plus attorney's fees.
- The act takes effect on July 1, 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can law enforcement take my phone to check my mobile ID?
Can a business refuse to serve me if I use a physical ID instead of a mobile ID?
What can I do if a private company misuses my mobile ID data?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
1 action- Feb 26, 2025HouseIntroducedRead first time and referred to the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Establishment of Mobile ID Privacy Framework
The bill bridges traditional identification laws with electronic credentials by explicitly restricting government tracking, device confiscation, and commercial data harvesting.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.vermont.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy30Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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