Groups representing advertisers and credit unions have drafted separate guidelines for what they would like to see in nationwide laws regulating the collection and use of consumer data.

Privacy for America—a coalition of eight advertising industry associations—released a "framework" of policy principles on Tuesday to serve as the foundation for any federal legislation regulating how personal data is gathered and stored. On Wednesday, the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions issued a white paper outlining six principles for implementing a national data privacy standard. Both reports were released the same week the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation held a hearing on the topic.

While separate proposals, what both groups hope to avoid is a state-by-state patchwork of laws regulating consumer privacy. The U.S. will soon take a step in that direction with the California Consumer Privacy Act, which goes into effect at the start of 2020. The California law gives consumers greater control over the information businesses collect and store about them, although it will only apply to the largest of companies.

What many associations are instead seeking is a federal law preempting state regulations. Privacy for America's guidelines propose a national set of standards that, among other things, would create prohibitions on the use of consumer data to determine eligibility for a job, health care or housing; put in place new protections for children between 12 and 16 years of age; and give the Federal Trade Commission more power to go after "bad actors."

"This framework offers a detailed new approach with robust protections for consumers and clear penalties for companies that do not comply," Stuart Ingis, coordinator of the Privacy for America coalition, said in a statement.

Coalition members include the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Association of National Advertisers and Digital Advertising Alliance.

NAFCU's six principles reiterate the group's support for national legislation preempting state laws. The group also calls for the National Credit Union Administration to be the sole regulator of data privacy for credit unions and for the creation of a "safe harbor" for businesses that take steps to comply with whatever law is passed.

"With data breaches on the rise, protecting consumers' data is more important today than ever before," NAFCU CEO Dan Berger said in a statement. "Recent events prove that vulnerable data security standards place consumers at significant risk, and a national data privacy standard would help ensure consumers' data is fully protected, while also continuing to foster innovation and help grow our economy."