Q&A: Will States Take the Lead in Consumer Protection?

by Jedd Bellman, John Coleman, Amanda Lawrence, Olivia Ragoowansi, Clinton Rockwell, Katy Ryan, John Williams - Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP - JD Supra

On Saturday, February 1, Rohit Chopra was dismissed as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), with Secretary Scott Bessent appointed as Acting Director that same day. The following weekend, Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought was named the Acting Director and ordered the Bureau to halt virtually all supervisory, enforcement and litigation activity while new leadership reevaluates priorities.

Read more: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/q-a-will-states-take-the-lead-in-4607676/

California’s AI Laws Are Here—Is Your Business Ready?

by Jeewon K. Serrato, Christine Mastromonaco, Shruti Bhutani Arora, Andrew Caplan, Erin Choo, Mia Rendar, Leighton Watson, Anne M. Voigts, Shani Rivaux, Johnna Purcell, Dayo Feyisayo Ajanaku - Pillsbury

January 1, 2025, marked the start of a series of significant AI laws going into effect in California. California’s 18 new AI laws represent a significant step toward regulating this space, establishing requirements regarding deepfake technology, AI transparency, data privacy and use of AI in the health care arena. These laws reinforce the state’s desire to be a pioneer in this space.

This article provides a detailed look at the enacted legislation, addresses compliance timelines and serves as a guide for businesses as they navigate compliance with California’s evolving AI landscape.

Read more: https://www.pillsburylaw.com/en/news-and-insights/california-ai-laws.html

Bill proposes changes to Utah’s sex offender registry

by Shara Park - KSL News Radio

SALT LAKE CITY — A controversial bill proposing changes to Utah’s sex offender registry was met with both support and criticism on Capitol Hill Friday.

When SB155 was first released by Senator Todd Weiler last week it was met with harsh criticism, on Friday a substitute bill was presented in the Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee. The original version of SB155 focused on moving certain criminal offenses with a lifetime sex offender registration to the list of offenses only requiring a 10-year registration.

Read more: https://kslnewsradio.com/crime-police-courts/changes-to-utahs-sex-offender-registry/2177547/

Oregon courts clear 47K residential eviction records

by Sabrina Pierre - KGW8

SALEM, Ore. — Oregon's state courts have cleared about 47,000 residential eviction records from people's backgrounds, a significant step toward reducing barriers to housing access under a new state law.

The law, ORS 105.164 (House Bill 2001, 2023), requires courts to "set aside" and "seal" past residential evictions that meet specific criteria. These sealed evictions will no longer appear in background checks, legally treated as if they never occurred.

Read more: https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/oregon-removes-eviction-records-background-checks/283-858aa702-5bf8-4c06-a24e-0be2898cde69

The GDPR Requirement for Maintaining Records of Processing Activities

by Yavor Markov - New Balkans Law Office

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) transformed the data protection landscape by introducing extensive and detailed obligations on personal data controllers. These requirements reflect the level of risk associated with processing personal data, the number of individuals with access, the volume and sensitivity of the data involved, and related considerations. Given these nuanced criteria, determining the applicability of a specific requirement to a particular controller is not always straightforward. Nevertheless, achieving GDPR compliance is crucial, as non-compliance can result in substantial fines and reputational damage.

Read more: https://www.newbalkanslawoffice.com/the-gdpr-requirement-for-maintaining-records-of-processing-activities/

CFPB Alleges Credit Reporting Agency Conducted Sham Investigations of Errors

by A.J.S. Dhaliwal, Mehul Madia, Maxwell Earp-Thomas - Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLC - JD Supra

On January 7, 2025, the CFPB filed a lawsuit against a nationwide consumer reporting agency for violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The lawsuit claims the company’s investigation of consumer disputes was inadequate, specifically criticizing their intake, processing, investigation, and customer notification processes. The lawsuit also alleges the company reinserted inaccurate information on credit reports, which the agency alleges harmed consumers’ access to credit, employment, and housing. In addition to FCRA, the Bureau alleges that the company’s faulty intake procedures and unlawful processes regarding consumer reports violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act’s (CFPA) prohibition on unfair acts or practices.

Read more: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/cfpb-alleges-credit-reporting-agency-1181901/

School volunteer background screenings will intensify

by Marc Valero - Highlands News-Sun

A more intense background screening will go into effect March 1, 2025 in Florida for those who volunteer in public schools increasing the cost of the screening.

School Board of Highlands County Coordinator of Communications John Varady said the School Board has already been following the updated screening requirements for employees and will begin utilizing the new screening procedures for volunteers in 2025, prior to the March 1st date.

Read more: https://www.midfloridanewspapers.com/highlands_news-sun/news/school-volunteer-background-screenings-will-intensify/article_56c636dc-c15e-11ef-9fbe-7f851693f411.html

Delaware’s Consumer Privacy Law is Right Around the Corner

by Michael B. Katz, Cynthia J. Larose of Mintz - The National Law Review

Any chancery you might be impacted by the Delaware Personal Data Privacy Act (DPDPA)? (See what we did there?) Impacted companies need to gear up and prepare for compliance as the DPDPA becomes effective on January 1, 2025. The article that follows explains who is covered by the law and provides details about the requirements those businesses need to be aware of.

Read more: https://natlawreview.com/article/delawares-consumer-privacy-law-right-around-corner#google_vignette

The 12 Days of California Labor and Employment Series – Day 2 "Requiring a Driver’s License May Not Be Wise"

by Hinshaw & Culbertson - Employment Law Observer - JD Supra

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on employers. On the second day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me two turtle doves and SB 1100.

What is SB 1100?

Every employer prefers to streamline their tasks, and job postings are one of them. Job postings are often recycled or briefly edited in order to market that job opening as quickly as possible. Over the years, it has been commonplace for employers to include items in job postings that may not be applicable to all jobs or that may be outdated. The requirement to have a driver's license is one of those items. 

Read more: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/the-12-days-of-california-labor-and-8218910

California Takes Steps to Regulate the Use of AI for Significant Employment Decisionsby

by Jonathan P. Slowik, Jennifer J. McDermott of Proskauer Rose LLP - The National Law Review

On November 8, 2024, the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) voted 4-1 to proceed with formal rulemaking regarding automated decision-making technology (“ADMT”), which the draft regulations define as “any technology that processes personal information and uses computation to execute a decision, replace human decisionmaking, or substantially facilitate human decisionmaking.” If enacted, the regulations would impose sweeping requirements on employers who rely on assistance from artificial intelligence (AI) tools in making employment decisions including hiring; allocation of work; compensation and benefits; promotion; and demotion, suspension, or termination. The draft regulations take a similar approach to laws that have passed in New York and laws that are likely to be enacted in Colorado, in that they require certain disclosures and risk assessments, and require that employees and applicants have the ability to opt-out of being evaluated by AI in some contexts. 

Read more: https://natlawreview.com/article/california-takes-steps-regulate-use-ai-significant-employment-decisions