We circulated this letter for a couple of days offering signon by Google Form and a more privacy-friendly CryptPad Form. We sent it to members of the Washington State Senate early in the morning of April 5, and plan to send it to the House of Representatives before they vote on whether or not to concur with the Senate’s changes. The Senate did much of what we asked them to:
- They kept the “per se” clause, and rejected a “right to cure”, although delayed enforcement on small businesses for three months)
- They didn’t strengthen it, although members of both parties agreed that it should be accompanied by a privacy bill that also covers data held by government agencies.
- The striker narrowed the definition of consumer health data, but they rejected multiple amendments that proposed weakening it further.
- Thanks to Law & Justice’s improvements (especially restoring the “per se” clause), the version of My Health My Data the Senate voted on was is substantially stronger than the House version (as long as no loopholes crept in with the late editing), although implementation has been delayed and it remains watered-down
- The Senate passed My Health My Data 27-21 (with almost all Democrats voting yes, and Sen. Mullet and all Republicans voting no).
Next, the House votes (probably on April 13) on whether or not to concur and accept the Senate’s changes. If they do, the Senate version goes to the Governor. If not, there will be more votes and negotiations — the session ends on April 23, and privacy legislation often goes down to the wire. We’ll have updates at https://wa-privacy.net
Dear members of the Washington State Legislature,
My Health My Data (ESHB 1155) provides critical protections for consumer health data from websites, apps, wearables like Fitbits – data which is not currently covered by HIPAA. These protections are all the more important since Roe has been overturned and states are criminalizing people who seek and provide reproductive and gender-affirming health care (and anybody who helps them).
Please:
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Maintain the current strong enforcement, including treating violations as a “per se” violation of the Consumer Protection Act.
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Strengthen the bill to ensure that all consumer health and location data related to accessing or researching health services or supplies is covered.
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Pass My Health My Data in as strong a version of the bill as you can. to protect our health data and to protect people visiting our state for reproductive health care services.
Almost 1000 people signed in PRO to support the original version of My Health My Data, including healthcare providers, patients, reproductive rights organizations, and gender justice organizations. Stop the exploitation of Washingtonians’ most personal and sensitive data by passing a strong My Health My Data bill. As your constituents, we urgently need these protections NOW.
Signed,
…
Note: Affiliations are for informational purposes only and do not constitute organizational endorsement.
Janet Carson, Sammamish, LD 5
Jerimiah Willhite, LD 44
Andrew Beyer, LD 43
Elizabeth O’Donoghue , Island, Greenbank, LD10
Carollynn Zimmers, CD-6 LD-23
Sarah L Richards, Indivisible Kirkland, 48th LD
Vivian Rogers Decker , LD 10
Christine Kohnert, LD 40
Vicki McMullin, LD 36
Jared Moore, University of Washington School of Computer Science, Seattle
Raquel Clavette , Island County
Lynn Keating, Indivisible Bellingham, State District 40
Julia Ban, Bellingham
Ginny Baker, LD 40
Kevin S. Leja, Indivisible Bellingham , 40th
Victoria Savage , LD42
Sanford Savage, LD42
Sara Dougherty , Bellingham, WA
Andrew Reding, Whatcom County Democrats, Whatcom County
MD Speck, Island
Nancy Alexandra Cortes , None, Island County
Courtney Jensen, Whatcom
Harold Mills, Whatcom, Bellingham, 42
Lisa Ornstein, none, Thurston
Lizanne Schader, 42nd
Kate Schwarz, Island County
Adolf, Coupeville
Martha Bartlett , 42nd District
Suzanne Mitten-Lewis, Blaine, WA
Eileen Angilletta , Bellingham
Cynthia Zaferatos , 40th
Kristen Dorwin, 1st LD (Kirkland, WA)
Judith E. Zeidel, State District 40 and Congressional District 2
Linda Hood, Indivisible Tacoma, University Place
Maya Morales, WA People’s Privacy
Sharon Belk-Krebs, LD 40
Janice Condrin, Whatcom County
Michelle Harmeier, Legislative District 42
Rosemary Woodyard, Bellingham
Ann V. Stevenson, Bellingham WA Whatcom County
Deborah Parker , LD 40
Vanessa Muller, None, Anacortes
Cynthia Spiess, LD 43
Kathleen Whitlock
Charles Whitlock
Deborah Carstens, Wallingford Indivisible, LD 46
Meryle A. Korn, Whatcom County, WA
John Graber, Bellingham
Alison Merz, State District 40
Linda Wehrman, Indivisible Whidbey, Coupeville
Karen Hofmann, Indivisible Bellingham, LD42
Ellen Floyd, 27th LD
William L Wallace, Associate Professor, WWU. Retired, Bellingham
Jade Phillips, District 40
Adriane Fain, Coupeville, WA
Terri Pollock, Common Power, Wallingford Indivisible, 46th LD
