According to a recent press release, “With a unanimous, bipartisan vote, state legislators passed a bill requested by Attorney General Ferguson that strengthens data breach notification laws. The bill expands consumer data breach notification requirements to include more types of consumer information. It also reduces the deadline to notify consumers to 30 days from 45 days. Rep. Shelley Kloba, D-Kirkland, sponsored the bill, which passed the House in a unanimous, bipartisan vote on March 1. ‘My office has seen the number of Washingtonians impacted by data breaches increase year after year,’ Ferguson said. ‘Data breaches are a serious threat to our privacy, and this law will arm consumers with information to protect their sensitive data’.”

The release continues, “Without this new law, a business or government organization affected by a data breach is only required to notify consumers if a hacker obtains a consumer’s name in combination with social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, state ID numbers or financial account information. The new law requires organizations to also notify consumers if a hacker accesses a consumer’s name in combination with the following: Full birth dates, Health insurance ID numbers, Medical history, Student ID numbers, Military ID numbers, Passport ID numbers, Usernames and passwords, Biometric data, such as DNA profiles or fingerprints, Electronic signatures. The bill also requires notice to the Attorney General within 30 days of the discovery of a data breach.”

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