State Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, has been appointed chair of the Pennsylvania House Commerce Committee, he said in a press release on Wednesday.
Conklin had been majority chair of the State Government Committee since last March, after serving as minority chair since 2021. He previously was minority chair of the Children and Youth Committee and Game and Fisheries Committee.
As Commerce Committee chair, Conklin said he will work to drive the economy forward while protecting consumers through legislation such as House Bill 1201, proposed data privacy legislation that would allow consumers to opt out from having some of their personal data collected online.
“Through legislation, such as H.B. 1201, we have the opportunity to keep Pennsylvania open for business, all while protecting consumers’ right to privacy,” Conklin said in a statement. “Most recently, Cambridge Analytica posed a threat to national security when it utilized users’ data to disseminate misinformation on American elections, as well as the United Kingdom’s referendum on Brexit. As such, we must protect consumers’ privacy, in addition to fending off interference in our elections.”
He added that, among other initiatives, he would also work to advance a proposed legislation package that would help protect vulnerable individuals such as older adults and those who are incapacitated from losing their homes because of delinquent property taxes.
The House Commerce Committee provides oversight of the Department of Banking and Securities, Department of Community and Economic Development, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, the Securities Commission, and the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority.
While moving Conklin to the Commerce Committee chair, House Speaker Joanna McClinton appointed state Rep. Carol Hill-Evans, D-York, to take over the State Government Committee, SpotlightPA’s Stephen Caruso reported.
