Washington legislators voted to pass a bill to strengthen the state’s data breach notification laws. The deadline for companies to notify affected individuals of a breach has been moved from 45 to 30 days. Under the rules, the types of information companies need to report have been expanded to include full birth dates, passport ID numbers, biometric data, health insurance ID numbers and electronic signature. The bill passed shortly after the Washington Privacy Act failed to come to the floor of the state’s House of Representatives for a vote. “Data breaches are a serious threat to our privacy, and this law will arm consumers with information to protect their sensitive data,” said Rep. Shelley Kolba, D-Wash., who sponsored the bill.
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