TL;DR: Vermont's H.211 cleared the House Commerce Committee 9-2 on March 13, 2026, and passed the Ways and Means Committee on March 20. The bill copies California's Delete Act playbook: create a single online portal where residents can request deletion from all 283 registered data brokers at once. If it passes Appropriations and the full House, it takes effect July 2026. Vermont would become only the second state with a universal data deletion tool.
The Smallest State Takes On the Biggest Brokers
Rep. Monique Priestley (D-Bradford) has been pushing data privacy legislation since 2024. Her latest bill, H.211, just cleared its second committee hurdle and heads to Appropriations before a House floor vote.
The concept is simple: instead of tracking down dozens of data brokers individually (each with different opt-out processes, each hoping you'll give up) submit one request through a Vermont-run portal. Every registered broker must check that portal and honor deletion requests.
California launched its version, DROP, on January 1, 2026. Vermont watched, learned, and drafted something similar. But with a twist.
Vermont Goes Further Than California
California's Delete Act relies on state enforcement. If a data broker ignores your request, CalPrivacy investigates and fines them. You don't have a direct legal remedy.
Vermont's H.211 includes a private right of action. If a data broker processes information on over 100,000 Vermonters and ignores deletion requests, you can sue them directly. No waiting for a state agency to act.
This matters because enforcement agencies are underfunded and overwhelmed. Private lawsuits create real financial risk for non-compliance. Data brokers pay attention when individual consumers can drag them to court.
$900 Per Year or Face Daily Fines
Vermont was the first state to require data broker registration back in 2018. The annual fee was $100. H.211 raises it to $900.
That $800 increase isn't just inflation adjustment. It's paying for the deletion portal infrastructure. The 283 currently registered brokers would generate roughly $255,000 annually, enough to run a statewide data deletion system.
The penalty for failing to register jumps from $50/day (capped at $10,000/year) to $200/day with no cap. A broker that dodges registration for a year would face $73,000 in penalties. After two years: $146,000.
What Data Brokers Must Do
Under H.211, registered data brokers must:
- Disclose categories of data they collect
- Reveal their data sources
- Name categories of third parties they sell to
- Implement "credentialing procedures" to verify data sales are for legal purposes
- Notify the state of security breaches
- Check the deletion portal and process requests
That last requirement is the game-changer. You submit once. They all have to comply.
What Happens Next
H.211 passed Commerce 9-2. It cleared Ways and Means on March 20. Next stop: Appropriations Committee. If that panel approves, it goes to the full House for a vote.
Vermont's legislative session runs through mid-May. If H.211 passes the House, it moves to the Senate. The companion bill, S.71, already passed the Senate last year, so there's appetite for this in both chambers.
If signed into law, H.211 takes effect July 2026. The deletion portal would likely launch later. California's took two years to build after the Delete Act passed in 2023.
Who's Fighting It
The Consumer Data Industry Association, the data broker trade group, submitted public comments opposing H.211. Their argument: the bill's requirements are too burdensome and the private right of action will invite frivolous lawsuits.
This is the standard playbook. Every state privacy bill faces the same objections. California heard it. Connecticut heard it. Texas heard it. The bills passed anyway.
Data brokers make money selling your information. They don't want you to have a delete button that actually works.
The Delete Act Movement
Vermont joins a growing list of states building tools to fight data brokers:
- California: DROP portal live since January 1, 2026. CalPrivacy fining non-compliant brokers.
- New York: Data broker provisions added to 2026 budget bills.
- Connecticut: Delete Act-style amendments filed to CTDPA.
- Rhode Island: SB 2766 proposing new data broker registration.
Vermont's 2018 registration law was the first. Their deletion portal could set the template for smaller states that can't build California-scale enforcement agencies.
What You Can Do
Sources
Published: March 22, 2026