New federal power to police workplace surveillance—and workers can sue.

What it does

This bill prohibits employers with 11+ workers from collecting, selling, or transferring worker data without strict limits and worker consent. It requires employers to disclose what data they collect, how they use it, and bans collection for union-busting, political surveillance, health monitoring unrelated to job duties, and off-duty tracking. Workers gain rights to access their data, correct errors, and sue employers for violations, with statutory damages ranging from $500 to $100,000 depending on the violation type.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is a comprehensive prohibition on employer data collection and transfer, paired with worker access and correction rights. It establishes a new federal regulator (Worker Protection and Technology Division) to enforce these restrictions and creates a private right of action with statutory damages. The functional character is worker-protective regulation, not a narrow carve-out or subsidy.

What the text implies

• The bill's definition of 'employee data' is extremely broad—including inferred data, online activity, and biometric information—which may create compliance complexity for employers and litigation risk around what counts as 'employee data' in borderline cases.
• The 'least invasive means' and 'strictly necessary' standards in Section 3(3)–(4) are subjective and will likely generate significant litigation over whether specific data collection practices meet the threshold, creating uncertainty for employers and workers alike.
• The private right of action with statutory damages (up to $100,000 per violation for willful retaliation) may incentivize class actions and create substantial liability exposure, potentially driving settlement behavior rather than clarifying compliance standards.
• The bill requires employers to retain data for only 3 years post-separation, but does not address data already held by third parties, service providers, or data brokers—creating a gap where worker data may persist in the broader data ecosystem.
• The establishment of a new federal division with hiring authority outside civil-service rules and advisory boards exempt from the Federal Advisory Committee Act concentrates significant discretionary power in a new agency with minimal transparency constraints on its own operations.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Workers gain enforceable privacy rights, data access, and correction remedies, plus a private right of action with meaningful damages. Employers are restricted from using surveillance for union-busting, political monitoring, and off-duty tracking—core accountability measures that shift power toward workers. The bill creates transparency obligations and whistleblower protections, strengthening worker agency and democratic participation.

Who stands to gain

• labor organizations and worker advocacy groups (enforcement partners, advisory board seats)
• plaintiff employment attorneys (private right of action with fee-shifting)
• privacy and compliance consulting firms (employer compliance demand)

Named in the bill

Department of Labor, Worker Protection and Technology Division, Federal Trade Commission, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Labor Relations Board, State attorneys general, State privacy regulators, Employers with 11+ workers, Service providers, Labor organizations

Where it stands

10 cosponsors: 10 Democrats.

• Jun 23, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jun 23, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on House Administration and House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.