APRIL 15, 2015 – ARLINGTON, VA – Food Marketing Institute (FMI) commends the House Energy and Commerce Committee's efforts to craft a strong and effective national data security and breach notification bill. The supermarket industry supports one clear national security standard and notification law that will replace the current patchwork of varying laws across 47 states.

FMI views the current draft legislation, the Data Security and Breach Notification Act of 2015, as a strong step toward creating one national standard and encourages the committee to use today's markup as an opportunity to strengthen the bill and further clarify all parties' duties to protect data and notify in the case of a breach. FMI supports efforts to improve the bill, such as tightening the definition of a breach.

FMI is committed to continue working with Chairman Upton, Chairman Burgess, Vice Chairman Blackburn and Congressman Welch to produce a bipartisan bill that will eventually be signed into law and sees today's markup as a step in the right direction.