LANSING ? Michigan Employers and educational institutions may soon be unable to ask potential or current employees for access to their social networking information after the Senate Energy and Technology Committee unanimously reported a bill Tuesday.
HB 5523 was reported from committee 6-0, with Sen. Howard Walker (R-Traverse City), Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R-Lawton) and Sen. Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge) absent.
When the bill left a House committee in June, it included changes that clarified that university-issued and employer-issued accounts were not personal accounts and were owned by the issuer, therefore making them accessible to the issuer. Also, the bill would not apply to in-state businesses that fall under federal regulations (and are not subject to state regulation).
Rep. Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton), sponsor of the legislation, told the committee the bill would keep the state up to date with the times, comparing employers’ wanting their employees’ social media information to rummaging through one’s purse.
“We would think it highly inappropriate if a potential employer said ‘let me look in your purse and see what kind of person you are,'” he said.
The bills were passed unanimously by the House and are now set to hit the Senate floor.
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