On September 14, 2021, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce (“E&C Committee”) voted in favor of a legislative recommendation that would create a new Federal Trade Commission privacy bureau as part of the proposed $3.5 trillion federal budget reconciliation package.

Specifically, the E&C Committee’s markup of the proposed budget would appropriate $1 billion to the FTC over 10 years to create and operate a bureau to accomplish the Commission’s work related to unfair or deceptive acts or practices relating to privacy, data security, identity theft, data abuses and similar matters.

The E&C Committee’s vote sends this legislative recommendation to the House Committee on the Budget for inclusion in the broader budget reconciliation package. A final reconciliation package will require votes by the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.