Newsroom

NAFCU President and CEO Dan Berger on Friday urged member credit unions to reach out to their lawmakers and seek their support and cosponsorship of H.R. 2205 and S. 961, which would set national standards for merchant data security and lead to enhanced member data protection.

"As the House will be in recess next week and representatives will be in their districts, this is an opportune time for you to reach out to your members of Congress about the importance of data security and the issues that are important to your credit union," Berger said in his message Friday to member credit unions.

H.R. 2205 was introduced Friday by Reps. Randy Neugebauer, R-Texas, and John Carney, D-Del. Both are members of the House Financial Services Committee, and Neugebauer is chairman of the Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee. S. 961was introduced by Sens. Tom Carper, D-Del., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo., both members of the Senate Banking Committee.

The two bills, both titled the Data Security Act of 2015, would set national data security standards for merchants, outline a process for breach notifications and recognize financial institutions' compliance with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act's information security requirements. Berger testified in favor of such legislation last month during a hearing of the House Small Business Committee.

Credit unions can weigh in on these measures with representatives and senators by visiting NAFCU's Grassroots Action Center.