WASHINGTON, DC — March 25, 2015 —

BSA | The Software Alliance today expressed support for House lawmakers’ recently proposed national data security and breach legislation. In a letter to Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Michael Burgess (R-Texas), Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), cosponsors of the Data Security and Breach Notification Act, BSA praised the bill while offering targeted improvements to provide greater clarity for both businesses and consumers in the wake of a breach. The letter comes as a House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee begins markup on the proposed legislation.

“Data breaches rarely affect customers in just one state, so companies are subject to a patchwork of conflicting state laws. A national breach notification standard would provide much-needed consistency so that companies can focus on assessing the breach, strengthening security and efficiently notifying customers, instead of diverting resources to comply with a diverse set of state laws,” said BSA President & CEO Victoria Espinel. “Having standards in place for responding to data breaches is critical to maintaining consumer trust and confidence in digital commerce. We commend Chairman Burgess, Vice Chairman Blackburn and Representatives Welch and Loebsack for their leadership and look forward to continuing to work with them to strengthen the bill and provide additional clarity for businesses and consumers alike.” 

Click here to download a copy of the letter.