Key lawmakers float new rules for personal data protection

Two lawmakers from opposing parties are floating a new plan to protect the privacy of Americans’ personal data. The draft legislation by two lawmakers from Washington state, Republican Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell, would make privacy a consumer right. It would also set new rules for companies that collect and transfer personal data. Congress has long debated ways to safeguard personal data, but partisan disputes have doomed previous proposals.