John Albers Introduces Bill Requiring Data Breach Notifications

Editor’s note: the following was submitted by State Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell).

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Legislators got back to work Tuesday after a long weekend celebrating the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Although winter weather threatened to hinder the work being done at the Capitol this week, it didn’t stop us from successfully reviewing the proposed state budget and conducting business as usual.

We have been busy introducing new legislation aimed at improving the lives of Georgians and ensuring Georgia remains a top place to live.

We started our week in recess as we spent the day Tuesday reviewing Governor (Nathan) Deal’s recommendations for the fiscal year 2016 amended budget and the fiscal year 2017 general budget. We listened to many presentations that help us understand how to properly distribute funds throughout the state. Senate Appropriations Subcommittees met throughout the week to go line-by-line through both budgets to ensure we are allocating taxpayer dollars responsibly.

I had the pleasure of dropping three pieces of legislation this week. Two of which are designed to protect Georgians, their personal information and their businesses, and the third will allow county governments to have more control of their budgeting process.

Every day we run the risk of having our personal information compromised when we send emails, pay bills online, check our bank accounts and so on. I worked diligently to create legislation that will help ensure your information is secure.

Senate Bill 276, the Georgia Personal Data Security Act, requires companies and organizations to notify consumers when a breach occurs that compromises your information. The notice should include the date of the breach, what information is compromised, what the dangers are and the steps that can be taken to prevent any further damage. The governor and the attorney general must also receive notification if such an event occurs. SB 276 is now in the Senate Science and Technology Committee.

One great thing about our country is that we have the ability to follow our dreams and open businesses. Many Georgians have achieved this goal by opening a franchise business. The franchise model provides someone with the opportunity to own a business, while having the resources and name recognition of a larger corporation. You see this often in the hotel and restaurant industries.

However, with a franchise operation comes the burden of federal government overreach. I introduced Senate Bill 277, the Protecting Georgia Small Businesses Act. This bill is a response to the National Labor Relations action in August 2015, and will allow Georgia’s small business owners to control their operations at a local level by prohibiting a franchisee or a franchisee’s employee to be considered employees of the franchisor. SB 277 is now in the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee.

In 1953, a population act was put in place in Georgia which required all counties with a population of 200,000 or more to begin their fiscal year on Jan. 1 of each year. It also required a specific budget process to be followed. This law is outdated and unnecessary. Senate Bill 274 will repeal this act, which will allow county governments to have more control of their budgeting process.

We are fortunate to have a healthy and thriving economy in Georgia. New businesses are opening every day, more families are purchasing homes and our state is now one of the most popular filming locations for television and movies. I will continue to work with my Senate colleagues to maintain our positive economic climate.

I am honored to represent you under the gold dome and I look forward to keeping you updated as we continue through the 2016 legislative session.

Sen. John Albers serves as chairman of the State and Local Government Operations Committee. He represents the 56th Senate District, which includes portions of North Fulton and Cherokee counties. He may be reached at his office at 404-463-8055 or by email atjohn.albers@senate.ga.gov.

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Image via John Albers’ Facebook page