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Update May 11, 2023: Both Governor Bill Lee and Governor Greg Gianforte signed their respective privacy acts making Tennessee and Montana the latest states to enact comprehensive privacy legislation. Governor Lee made clear where he stands on consumer privacy rights as he signs only 4% of bills that cross his desk. Governor Gianforte’s office has yet to make an official public statement announcing he signed Montana’s privacy act on May 10th, but Truyo was able to get in touch and received this quote from the Montana Attorney General. “This is a major step forward for consumer privacy in Montana,” said Attorney General Austin Knudsen. “This law will give Montanans the tools they need to protect their personal data and hold businesses accountable.”

Montana and Tennessee are the latest states to successfully pass privacy bills through their respective legislatures. The final step is for both governors to put pen to paper, which we expect to go forward as planned.

Montana’s privacy bill, introduced by Daniel Zolnikov, aligns with Connecticut’s privacy law that goes into effect on July 1, 2023. While it doesn’t meet the strict thresholds that Virginia set forth, having gone into effect on January 1st of this year, it is still a regulation to keep an eye on for companies under Montana’s jurisdiction.

Tennessee joined Montana in passing its own privacy bill. This week, if both are signed by Governor Bill Lee (TN) and Greg Gianforte (MT) as expected, it will prove to be another landmark period for privacy. The swift movement by Iowa, Montana, and Tennessee is going to set a precedent for other states that have yet to introduce a privacy bill or have been unsuccessful in passing privacy laws over the last few years.

As Truyo has reported over the last year, any state that passes new legislation is putting much-needed pressure on the federal government to finally make a move toward a federal law. These momentous privacy passages could tip the scale for federal lawmakers to accelerate movement toward a nationwide privacy law.

We anticipate both Montana and Tennessee’s governors to sign both bills, which will mark the 7th and 8th omnibus privacy laws to join the patchwork.