Federal data breach legislation stalls

Bills that would strengthen notification laws in data breaches have stalled in Congress. Meanwhile, California -- which enacted the nation’s first data breach notification law in 2002 -- has passed its own legislation strengthening and clarifying requirements for notifying individuals when personal information has been compromised.

In Washington (DC) legislation is pending in both houses of Congress that would replace the current patchwork of 47 state laws for informing consumers when they are at risk of identity theft and other fraud. A House subcommittee passed a bill in July, but full committee has not acted on it and the chances of both houses agreeing on a bill in the face of what is becoming a two-year election season appear slim.