ID theft bill introduced in the N.Y. Senate

Daily Record (Rochester, NY), Apr 12, 2007

A bill introduced in the Senate would require businesses to notify consumers if a security breach compromises their personal information.

The measure, the "Notification of Risk to Personal Data Act," also seeks to ban the sale or disclosure of a person's Social Security number without prior consent.

At a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security in March, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D- Calif.), who introduced the bill, said she is urging quick action given the recent spate of data breaches, including those that occurred at Boeing, UCLA and Starbucks.

The bill is S. 239.

A related bill aimed at toughening identity theft laws, the "Personal Data Privacy and Security Act," (S. 495) was introduced by Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, (D-Vt.), and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), and is also before the committee.

Similar legislation approved by the Judiciary Committee in the last Congress died before reaching the floor.