Today I joined over 220 state legislators in calling for invocation of the 25th Amendment and congressional enforcement of war powers as the U.S. remains in an unauthorized war with Iran. Thank you to MI Rep. Rheingans and State Futures for leading this effort. priestleyvt.com/25thamendmen...

So proud of everyone who took to the streets, parking lots, and greens to rally this weekend. I kept things local with visits to Bradford and Fairlee. ❤️ Keep showing up and speaking out. 💪😍 #nokings

House Democrats revive push to tax the rich, despite their leadership's misgivings The House Committee on Ways and Means has agreed to vote on legislation this year that would increase state income taxes by 3% on household income over $500,000 a year, and by an additional 2% on inco...

Full article: www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2...

“A 2021 poll of more than 2,000 likely voters, commissioned by the Vermont-National Education Association, found that 77% support raising taxes on wealthy residents and corporations. Those figures include 69% of self-identified independents and a near-majority — 47% — of Republicans.”

There’s a much longer story behind the scenes - and the conversation isn’t over. Keep speaking up and engaging! The biggest take away for me was an appreciation for how quickly folks sprang into action to alert tens of thousands of VTers. It’s so critical to hear from you! More in comments…

Lawmakers want to strengthen data privacy protections by giving Vermonters 'the right to say no' The legislation would allow Vermonters to opt out of a global data industry that generates hundreds of billions of dollars annually from the from the sale of their phone numbers, location histories, p...

Link to full article: www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2...

Thank you shoutout to Pete Hirschfeld and Vermont Public for covering the House passage of H.211, a bill expanding transparency and the rights of Vermonters when it comes to the sale of their personal data. I’m thankful for the hard work of the colleagues in my committee as well as the House.

H.211 Draft 7.1 which Passed the House 3/25/2026: legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/20...

H.211 just passed the Vermont House. It updates data broker fees, fines, and definitions and replaces outdated entity/data-level exemptions with use-case level Right to Delete exemptions. Grateful to everyone who helped get it here. Long road ahead. 🌱 #dataprivacy

I am excited to share that I have joined the State Futures Federal Response Coalition: a growing, cross-state group of lawmakers coordinating responses to federal overreach focused on defending civil liberties, upholding the rule of law, and protecting communities.

Data Broker Breaches Fueled Nearly $21 Billion in Identity-Theft Losses A report copublished by WIRED sparked a probe into opt-out pages hidden by data brokers. Now congressional Democrats say breaches tied to the industry have cost people tens of billions of dollars.

Timely as the Vermont House Committee on Commerce & Economic Development heads into another day of testimony regarding H.211, An act relating to data brokers and personal information. www.wired.com/story/data-b...

This idea has gone on to inform legislation such as Vermont's H.720, An act relating to the Cloud Computing Public Utility Act, sponsored by @mepriestley.com and @laurasibilia.bsky.social!

Visiting Drexel

Spent a quick afternoon at Drexel’s Law School today, visiting with students and professors on a panel alongside Rep Scialabba (R-PA) discussing privacy and AI related policy making. I find the open-ended exploration of ideas in an academic setting to be a beneficial exercise to participate in.

Pleased to be part of the GovStack Women in GovTech Challenge 2026 as a mentor, joining 260+ women from 74 countries working to advance inclusive digital transformation. Looking forward to learning and contributing. #WiGTC26 #GovStack

LinkedIn interview screenshot

The resources that David Stauss and his team create to track all of the various aspects of data privacy and AI laws across the country are invaluable. I’m grateful for an opportunity to share a few updates from Vermont. (See LinkedIn for the video.) #dataprivacy #aipolicy #techpolicy #digitalpolicy

Appreciate Austin Jenkins and Pluribus News / State Affairs for including me in DISRUPTION: 6 tech policy trends to watch in ’26.

States continue to lead on AI, data privacy, and platform accountability - especially where federal action falls short.

📄 Full piece:
pluribusnews.com/news-and-eve...

Big thanks to Wayne and Dave for having me on Algorithmic Anxiety last month to dig into AI regulation—what’s already happening, what’s missing, and what states are doing right now.

🎙️ Episode 26 (Dec 16, 2026):
www.mixcloud.com/WBTVLP/algor...

Grateful to David Zuckerman and the team at WDEV for having me on today. We talked data privacy, the right to be deleted, government surveillance, AI chatbots, and why rural voices matter in tech policy.

🎧 Protecting Data, Protecting People (Jan 29, 2026):
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/v...

Joint Statement RE Minnesota

What is happening in Minnesota is a direct threat to due process, constitutional rights, and the values our country was founded on. I stand with the people of MN in calling for accountability, independent investigations, and an end to this dangerous federal overreach. priestleyvt.com/media/opeds/

The Trump Administration wants your DNA and social media Yesterday the Trump Administration announced a proposed change in policy for travellers to the U.S. It applies to the powers of data collection by the Customs and Border Police (CBP).

This has to stop.

Excerpt: "Yesterday the Trump Administration announced a proposed change in policy for travellers to the U.S. It applies to the powers of data collection by the Customs and Border Police (CBP)..." www.privacyinternational.org/news-analysi...

Fighting Big Tech in the States: A Conversation with Vermont Representative Monique Priestley Big business groups are orchestrating opposition to tech accountability.

In a new interview, Vermont Representative @mepriestley.com broke down what Big Tech is up to in statehouses and how advocates like her are fighting for protections.

We’ve spent October traveling Vermont to talk with you about your privacy concerns. What started as 6 town halls turned into requests from 25 more towns. We’re kicking off another round this week in Morrisville. Your stories and your energy are pushing this work forward. Join us: peoplevsbigtech.com

Had such a good time chatting everything data privacy laws with @achapell.bsky.social!

More on the private right of action My reaction to Dr. Lauren Scholz commentary on the PRA

More thoughts on the private right of action for.privacy laws as i tease my upcoming pod interview with VT rep Monique Priestly which will be out Wed.

open.substack.com/pub/chapell/...

Kicked off the Monique for VT State Senate campaign with manager, Hudson Ranney. So many have already reached out to knock doors, make calls, host events, and get involved. That’s what this campaign is about. Politics should be candid, inclusive, and fun. Let’s do this!
priestleyvt.com/senate2026

Thank you to VTDigger for featuring a recent Op-Ed by the leadership team of the Rural Caucus: Rep. Laura Sibilia, I-Dover; Rep. Lisa Hango, R-Berkshire; Rep. Monique Priestley, D-Bradford; and Rep. Lucy Boyden, D-Cambridge.

Full piece: vtdigger.org/2025/11/14/r...

Identity thief Halloween costume

Identity thief. 🎃👻🤓 #privacynerd

Orange County GOP senator resigns, local Democratic rep says she’s running - VTDigger First-term Sen. Larry Hart leaves another vacancy in the Vermont Senate. He’s the second Republican to resign in recent weeks after Sam Douglass stepped down earlier this month.

Grateful to VTDigger for including my announcement in today's coverage. '“Vermonters sent a clear message this year: it’s time for leadership that listens and responds. We can’t afford to ignore the pressures facing everyday people any longer.”' vtdigger.org/2025/10/29/o... #vtpoli

vermontbiz.com/news/2025/octo… @mepriestley.com is running for Vermont State Senate, and I couldn’t be more excited. Her dedication to public service and commitment to Vermont communities make her the leader we need. Let’s flip this seat and build what’s next for Vermont, together. #vtpoli

Big news: I’m running for the Vermont State Senate! This isn’t just a campaign – it’s an invitation to build what’s next. Together, we can make Vermont more affordable, transparent, and inclusive for everyone. Let’s do this: priestleyvt.com/senate2026 #vtpoli #priestleyvt2026 #community #leadership