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Congress·In Committee·about 1 month ago

House Bill Would Ban VA Contractors from Selling Veterans' Private Data

Also known as: Veteran DATA Act

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
House
Senate
President

Impact Analysis

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Key Points

  • This bill stops the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from making deals with companies that want to sell veterans' private information. It ensures that any company working for the VA cannot treat a veteran's personal data like a product to be sold for profit.
  • The rule covers a wide range of sensitive data, including health records and personal details like names or addresses. Even if a company tries to "anonymize" the data by removing names to hide who it belongs to, they are still banned from selling or monetizing it.
  • If this becomes law, the VA would have one year to update all its current and future contracts to include these strict privacy rules. This means even companies already working with the VA would have to follow the new ban or change their business practices.
  • The VA would also have to create a new guide for its employees to help them spot when a company might be misusing or selling veteran data. This adds a layer of oversight to make sure contractors are actually following the rules.
  • The bill requires the VA to report back to Congress within one year to prove they have updated their contracts and created the necessary training for staff to protect veteran privacy.
VeteransTechnology Digital

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Jan 30, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Jan 30, 2026

Introduced in House

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

Within one year of enactment

All VA contracts must include data protection clauses banning sale of veteran information

Every company working with the VA — including those with existing contracts — would be prohibited from selling or monetizing veterans' personal and health data

Within one year of enactment

VA issues employee guidance on spotting data misuse by contractors

VA staff would have clear instructions for monitoring whether contractors are improperly selling or profiting from veteran data, improving enforcement of the new rules

Related News

2 articles
Nextgov/FCW·24 days ago

Tech bills of the week: Restricting biometric use; expanding the quantum workforce; and more

Reps. Nikki Budzinski and Tom Barrett introduced the Veteran Data Accountability for Third-party Actors (DATA) Act to prevent third-party entities from monetizing sensitive veteran data. The bill requires VA contracts to be updated with anti-monetization clauses and mandates guidance on misuse.

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The Hill·about 3 years ago

Bipartisan bill aims to protect veterans’ data from being sold

Sens. Sherrod Brown and Mike Braun introduced the Veteran DATA Act, which would prohibit the Department of Veterans Affairs from entering into contracts with companies that sell veterans’ data to third parties, ensuring sensitive information is not treated as a product for profit.

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Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Veteran DATA Act

Bill NumberHR 7280
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)
R: 1

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.