Before you vote › Federal bills
S. 1208: Privacy Act Modernization Act of 2025
119th Congress · introduced 2025-03-31 · Finance and Financial Sector · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
federal
Official title
Privacy Act Modernization Act of 2025
Plain summary
Privacy Act Modernization Act of 2025 This bill strengthens privacy protections that apply to personal data held or maintained by government agencies. These protections restrict the storage, access, use, and disclosure of personal data, such as an individual’s name or Social Security number. Currently, these protections apply to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The bill expands this to include natural persons in the United States and certain associations and corporations. The bill places additional limits on the use and disclosure of such data, including by limiting the use of records to a legally authorized purpose and requiring disclosures to be minimal and consistent with a previously stated use. The bill also increases existing penalties and creates additional criminal penalties for violations. For example, under the bill, an agency employee who willfully discloses individually identifiable information with the intent to sell, transfer, use, or disclose such information for commercial advantage, personal gain, or malicious harm shall be guilty of a felony and fined not more than $250,000, imprisoned for not more than 10 years, or both. Courts may provide preliminary relief and, if the U.S. is found to have acted intentionally or willfully, the U.S. is liable for additional types of damages (e.g., punitive). The bill generally takes effect two years after the date of enactment. However, the bill takes effect immediately upon enactment with respect to certain actions taken by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), certain special or temporary employees, and other related individuals and organizations.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
What a vote does
A “Yea” vote
If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.
A “Nay” vote
If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.
PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).
What does this mean? (plain words)
Official text
Privacy Act Modernization Act of 2025
Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text
No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.
Limited to a few requests an hour per person.
The strongest published arguments
Arguments for (supporters)
Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
Arguments against (opponents)
Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
Alternatives
Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
Officials and money
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] · 3 cosponsors
Money: No cost estimate published yet. No linked contracts or vendors yet.
Words on this page, explained (2)
- Bill
- A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
- Securities
- Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.
Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-119s1208.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/s>
Record fed-us-cong119-s1208 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong119 · updated 2026-11-03 by psicol fed-bills