A bill from Senator Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that would put teeth in California laws protecting consumers from the kinds of data breaches that have exposed the personal financial information of millions will go before the Senate Judiciary committee Tuesday afternoon.
Senate Bill 1121 was in part a response to the 2017 Equifax breach, which affected nearly 150 million consumers, exposing social security numbers, birth dates, names, addresses and in some cases, credit card and driver’s license numbers. Among other things, the bill will give consumers more time to file claims against companies and set damages in amounts ranging from $200 to $1,000.
“We must hold companies accountable for the harm they cause and ensure consumers are made whole for substantial economic damage that can surface many years down the road,” Sen. Dodd said. “I know my Senate colleagues agree with the need for protection. And I look forward to their support.”
The Judiciary committee convenes at 1:30 p.m.
SB 1121 is supported by the Consumer Attorneys of California, CalPirg, the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, New Economic for Women and the National Association of Consumer Advocacy among other groups.
Senator Bill Dodd represents California’s 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Yolo, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties. You can learn more about Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd.