HARRISBURG – The Senate Communications and Technology Committee will hold a public hearing at the state Capitol on Wednesday, February 5 at 9:30 a.m. to focus on data privacy efforts and the state’s Breach of Personal Information Act, according to committee chair Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York).
“All levels of government continue to rely on the Internet to conduct its daily business,” Phillips-Hill said. “This hearing will be important to learn more about best practices across the country when it comes to data privacy to implement at the state level to ensure sensitive information that citizens submit to obtain certain government documents, like a birth certificate or a driver’s license, does not fall into the wrong hands.”
The hearing will feature testimony from Senator Dan Laughlin (R-Erie), who is the prime sponsor of a measure that would update the state’s Breach of Personal Information Notification Act. Under his bill, a state agency with a data breach would have notify the individuals affected within seven days. The bill would also require the state’s Office of Administration to retain a policy on the state’s storage of personally identifiable data.
In addition to Sen. Laughlin’s testimony, the hearing will feature input from the National Conference of State Legislatures, and Unisys, a company that specializes in IT security.
The hearing will be held in Hearing Room 1 of the North Office Building at the state Capitol.
More information can be found on the committee’s website.