(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today released the following statement regarding the Senate passage of Senate Bill 220, the Data Protection Act sponsored by State Senators Bob Hackett (R-London) and Kevin Bacon (R-Westerville):
“This commonsense legislation would be a win-win for both Ohio business owners and Ohio consumers,” said Attorney General DeWine. “Encouraging businesses to take the appropriate steps to protect their customers’ personal information could avoid costly data breaches for companies and give customers peace of mind that their personal information is protected.”
The Data Protection Act is the first piece of legislation introduced as a result of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s CyberOhio Initiative. The measure would encourage businesses to voluntarily adopt strong cybersecurity controls to protect consumer data. The legislation identifies ten different industry-recognized cybersecurity frameworks on which businesses can base their security programs.
Launched in September 2016, the goal of CyberOhio is to help foster a legal, technical, and collaborative cybersecurity environment to help Ohio businesses thrive. In addition to promoting legislation, other parts of the initiative include training opportunities for businesses, development of cybersecurity workforce personnel, and expansion of the Ohio Attorney Generals’ Identity Theft Unit.
The bill will now go to the Ohio House of Representatives for consideration.
The text of Senate Bill 220 is available at www.legislature.ohio.gov. More information about the Attorney General's CyberOhio initiative can be found on www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.
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