Jeff Robb, a Seattle resident wintering in Tucson, signs a banner supporting Nancy Guthrie in Tucson, Ariz., on Friday, Feb. 13. Photo by Ty ONeil/AP Investigators desperate for leads in the abduction of Nancy Guthrie from her Arizona home are turning to a new tool in their search, according to reports this week: databases of genetic data compiled by companies that offer ancestry tracing direct to consumers online. That news, in addition to concerns over a 2023 breach of data from the DNA testing company 23andMe, has legislators in Vermont considering how to better protect the privacy of the many people who use those services to learn more about their family history or risks to their health. Top among those concerns are how much control users have over their data — and how that data might get distributed — after they’ve mailed in a spit sample. “We want to make sure that consumers that have purchased these plans have the right to say, ‘Yes, you can forward my information’ — and ‘No, you can’t,’” said Coventry Republican Rep. Michael Marcotte, chair of the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee.  The full House on Tuesday advanced a bill, which passed out of Marcotte’s committee last week, that would require genetic testing companies to get “a consumer’s express consent” each time their genetic data is shared with a third party or used for other purposes. Marcotte was speaking to reporters about the bill, H.639, at a recent sit-down and cited the Guthrie case, specifically. The bill’s lead sponsor is Rep. Robin Scheu, D-Middlebury.  The legislation is meant to prevent companies from garnering consent with sweeping blocks of legalese that people are used to clicking through online with little scrutiny, said Rep. Herb Olson, D-Starksboro, who presented the bill on the floor Tuesday. A person’s DNA is so “fundamental” to their identity, Olson argued, that companies should have to ask for consent to use it as frequently, and with as much specificity, as possible. Two major genetic testing companies — 23andMe and Ancestry — forbid police from accessing their users’ data during criminal investigations, though a court can compel them to hand over that data. A lobbyist for Ancestry, Ritchie Engelhardt, told House Commerce earlier this month that the company has not disclosed a customer’s genetic data to law enforcement or government agencies in the 14 years it has offered DNA testing services. But not all companies operate that way. Two others, FamilyTreeDNA and GEDmatch, will grant police access to data, though they give people the option to opt in or out of that feature. GEDmatch has been credited with helping police catch the “Golden State Killer,” Joseph DeAngelo Jr., who in 2020 pleaded guilty to 13 killings and dozens of rapes in California in the 1970s and ‘80s. Vermont’s bill would also require companies to delete a consumer’s data upon request and notify any third parties with which they’ve shared that data to do the same. It would also allow the state Attorney General’s Office to bring civil cases against companies that violated the legislation’s provisions. The bill passed with no clear opposition on the House floor Tuesday and so should sail past third reading on Wednesday. After that, it would head to the Senate for further consideration. — Shaun Robinson In the know Tuesday marked four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a war that’s killed more than 100,000 Ukrainians and more than 300,000 Russian soldiers.  Lt. Gov. John Rodgers and Sen. Tanya Vyhovsky, P/D-Chittenden Central, joined community members with ties to Ukraine to highlight the urgency of the Ukrainian cause and outline the war’s implications for freedom and democracy across the globe. “We all must stand in solidarity with the most vulnerable and the most oppressed across the globe in the fight for freedom from imperialism and authoritarianism. We are all in this together,” Vyhovsky said.  Vyhovsky had also introduced a resolution condemning Russia’s military and political aggression in Ukraine.  Among those in attendance were Montpelier-area residents who have gathered outside the city’s shuttered post office twice a week since Russia’s invasion to stand in solidarity with Ukraine, reminding the public of the ongoing war.  — Ethan Weinstein While two Senate approved bills that attempt to limit federal immigration enforcement in Vermont sit in the House Judiciary Committee, lawmakers in the same committee are taking another stab at holding federal officers accountable.  They’re considering a bill, H.849, that would allow individuals to file civil lawsuits for damages against any federal, state or local official who has violated their constitutional rights. Current federal law gives people cause to sue for damages only if a state or local official violates their constitutional rights, leaving out the same protections against federal actions.  The bill wouldn’t create new rights for individuals or new regulations on federal officials, but it would “offer remedies” to people when their rights are violated by someone in any level of government, said James Pfander, a professor at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, during a Tuesday committee meeting.  If an officer was ordered to pay civil damages under the prospective law, it’s possible an officer’s agency might pick up the tab, Pfander said. The committee should also consider, Pfander recommended, how officers might have qualified immunity, which protects public officials from some liability while performing their jobs.  — Charlotte Oliver On the Hill (sorta) Vermont’s sole delegate to the U.S. House is skipping President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night. Democratic Rep. Becca Balint will instead take part in counterprogramming on the National Mall called the “People’s State of the Union,” according to her office.  Balint will attend the event — slated to feature “storytellers speaking about the real-world impacts of the Trump administration’s decisions” — alongside Mohsen Mahdawi, the Palestinian graduate student who was arrested by federal immigration agents in Colchester last year. “Instead of sitting through what has become President Trump’s annual self-congratulation, misinformation, and division speech, I look forward to a night of standing with colleagues, organizers, advocates, and everyday Americans who are committed to doing the real and honest work of protecting our rights, strengthening our communities, and holding those in power accountable,” Balint said in a press release. Dozens of other Democrats are planning to boycott Trump’s address to Congress, too. For his part, Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., plans to be in the U.S. House chamber for the speech — with state Rep. Alyssa Black, D-Essex Town, as his guest. — Shaun Robinson Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont House advances data protections for people who use genetic testing sites. ...read more read less