News Room: Consumer Protection

The California Senate has approved a bill that would update the state’s pioneering data breach notification law, the lawmaker who introduced the legislation announced Friday.

The bill from Democratic Sen. Joe Simitian is a reintroduction of the same measure that he proposed last year, but which was ultimately vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The current legislation, known as SB-1186, builds on the landmark 2003 breach notification bill, SB-1386, by requiring that breach notification letters also contain specifics around the data-loss incident, including the type of personal information exposed, a description of the incident, and advice on steps to take to protect oneself from identity theft.

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The California State Senate voted Thursday to approve Senate Bill 1166 by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto). Senate Bill 1166 would strengthen and improve the state’s existing security breach notification requirements. read more ...

Someone in Southern California keeps getting busted by red-light cameras — but Vera Gil of San Jose keeps getting the bill.

Gil, an administrator for the city of Cupertino, said she has received three red-light tickets in the past two years for violations she didn’t commit. It seems the cameras consistently misread a “D” on the Southern California driver’s license plate for an “O” on Gil’s.

After a frustrating experience trying to fight the tickets, Gil entered state Sen. Joe Simitian’s “There Oughta Be A Law” contest. Her proposal for new protections for drivers improperly cited by red-light cameras was one of three winners this year, Simitian announced Monday.

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Wednesday State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) will join representatives of the National MS Society, the Diabetes Coalition of California, the California Conference of Environmental Health Directors and other consumer health organizations to present criteria that will be used to evaluate safe needle disposal plans prepared by drug manufacturers. The criteria come on the heels of Simitian’s Senate Bill 486, which was signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger last fall. read more ...

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has named State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) their California Legislator of the Year. read more ...

The Consumer Federation of California and the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG), two statewide consumer rights organizations, have recognized State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) for his 2009 voting record. Both organizations gave Simitian 100% scores on their annual legislative scorecards. read more ...

Simitian — well-known for his cell phone driving bills — has another motorist law on the books beginning Friday. read more ...

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed an update to California's landmark data-breach notification law, saying that the new bill would be too hard on businesses without adequately benefiting consumers. read more ...

Sacramento – Governor Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 486, authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto). The new law – suggested by a constituent in Simitian’s annual “There Oughta Be A Law” contest – will help an estimated one million Californians safely dispose of their “sharps” (a type of medical waste that includes syringes and needles). read more ...

Today Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed State Senator Joe Simitian's (D-Palo Alto) Senate Bill 20. The bill would have strengthened and updated California's landmark privacy protection law that requires businesses and state agencies to notify residents when sensitive personal information is lost or stolen from their databases. read more ...

California State Sen. Joe Simitian could be called the father of state data breach notification laws. He received the award for Excellence in the Field of Public Policy at the RSA Conference 2007 in recognition of that -- though he's willing to share the credit. read more ...

This year, Sen. Simitian is back with SB 20, a bill now on its way to the governor's desk. If signed, it would provide an important upgrade to California's landmark privacy protection law. read more ...

In California, which has lead the nation in passing “green chemistry” laws, an influential Democrat, State Senator Joe Simitian, said he would press for mandatory disclosure if the voluntary effort comes up short. read more ...

A new Senate bill in California, which seeks to complement the state's trailblazing SB-1386 data breach disclosure bill, is ready for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature. read more ...

State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that his bill, SB 486, to facilitate the safe disposal of “sharps” (a type of medical waste that includes syringes and needles) passed its final hurdle in the Legislature. read more ...

The State Legislature approved State Senator Joe Simitian’s (D-Palo Alto) SB 20, a bill to strengthen and update California’s landmark privacy protection law. read more ...

Privacy Piracy host Mari Frank interviews State Senator Joe Simitian on his range of legislation aimed at protecting Californians' privacy. read more ...

Sacramento – State Senator Joe Simitian is inviting constituents in the 11th State Senate District to participate in the Senate’s first ever live streaming town hall from the State Capitol. “E-Upd@te With State Senator Joe Simitian” will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13th. All topics will be open for discussion during the one hour event. read more ...

Sacramento – The California State Senate approved today SB 20, legislation by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), which aims to strengthen existing privacy protection laws for California consumers. The new law builds on legislation authored by Simitian in 2002 that requires a business or government agency that incurs a data breach to provide notice to the individual(s) whose information was compromised. More than 40 states have adopted similar legislation since that time, largely based on the California measure. read more ...

California's landmark data-breach notification law will get another update, if State Senator Joe Simitian gets his way. Simitian, co-author of California's original 2003 legislation, has proposed a new bill, SB 20, that would spell out what companies must tell customers in their data breach letters and require that breaches affecting more than 500 people be reported to the state's attorney general. read more ...

Six years after California enacted the country's first data breach notification law, many state residents have received letters warning them that their data was exposed by a breach but usually they don't know how or how long, experts said at a privacy conference on Friday. That would change with the passage of a measure proposed by California State Sen. Joe Simitian, who authored the country's first bill requiring companies to notify customers when a breach has occurred that exposes their data. Senate Bill 20 would require that notification letters to consumers have a standard set of information such as information about the timing and circumstances of the breach. read more ...

The message is clear today: Put your cell phone down while driving. Beginning today, text messaging while driving is against the law and carries with it a $20 to $50 fine. The new law, authored by state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, closes the technology loophole left after the hands-free cell phone law went into effect last year. The new law is just one of the 834 bills signed into law in 2008 by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. New federal, state and local laws that take effect Jan. 1, 2009 range from the naming of Devil’s Slide tunnel to the second consecutive year of minimum wage increases. A few of those laws were ideas suggested to state Simitian through his annual “There Oughta Be A Law” contest. Simitian passed 14 bills, including ones that regulate deceptive sweepstakes practices and expands the small business loan program. read more ...

Palo Alto – As Californians usher in the New Year, they will find new protections for many including victims of sexual abuse, veterans and seniors. The protections will come from laws that State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) authored and will take effect on January 1, 2009. The following are among the 14 bills that Simitian received signatures on this fall from the Governor. read more ...

Palo Alto – State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that Governor Schwarzenegger has signed his Senate Bill 1400, which provides greater protection for the elderly and vulnerable against deceptive sweepstakes solicitations. Simitian’s measure is the first such effort in the past 10 years. read more ...

Sacramento - The California State Senate has endorsed the important principle that consumers should be able to find out what is in the products they purchase by passing a “disclosure of ingredients” bill introduced by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto). The measure, Senate Bill (SB) 509, would require manufacturers of consumer products to publish on the Web a list of every substance in a product that makes up more than one-tenth of one percent of the whole. While previous laws have mandated disclosure of ingredients in food and cosmetics, no similar requirement exists for the thousands of consumer products that people buy and use every day. read more ...

Palo Alto - A lot of stuff goes down the toilet that probably should not, for instance unwanted and expired prescription drugs. But the efforts of one Northern California teen helped put a new law into place that requires pharmacies to take back and properly dispose of the drugs. 18-year-old Rebecca Kassel looked into the issue, created her own website and campaigned for the new law. She was aided by State Senator Joe Simitan of Palo Alto, who holds an annual "There Ought to be a Law" contest. read more ...

Sacramento – Governor Schwarzenegger announced today that he has signed Senate Bill 966, a bill by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) to put in place a drug “take-back” program to help ensure proper disposal of over the counter drugs and prescription pharmaceuticals. read more ...

You got well faster than expected. You bought more medicine than you needed, and now it's past the expiration date. Or you tried something and it didn't work. Those leftover medications are sitting in your medicine chest, and they're worse than just clutter. They're hazardous household waste. read more ...

Sacramento — The Consumer Federation of California, a statewide nonprofit consumer rights advocacy organization, has recognized State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) for scoring 100% on his 2006 voting record on consumer protection legislation. read more ...

When state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, learned that medications are polluting waterways nationwide, he decided to do something about it. His idea, which several San Diego County sewage agencies are expected to vote today to support, is to require pharmacies take back outdated or unneeded medications so residents don't flush them down the toilet. read more ...

Sacramento — CALPIRG, one of the state’s leading consumer advocacy organizations, has recognized State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) for scoring 100% on his 2005 voting record on consumer protection legislation. read more ...

Palo Alto – Once again, California leads the nation on child safety and environmental policy. Legislation authored by Assemblyman Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) and passed in 2002 has been introduced at the federal level by Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-New York). read more ...

Palo Alto – A new law takes effect January 1 to prevent accidental poisonings of children, pets and wildlife in California. read more ...

Palo Alto – There actually ‘oughta be’ several new laws, if the record number of entries for Assemblyman Joe Simitian’s annual contest is any indication. More than 100 people submitted their ideas to put new laws on the books. read more ...

Sacramento – Winners of Assemblyman Joe Simitian’s (D-Palo Alto) “There Oughta Be a Law” Contest joined Simitian and Governor Gray Davis today in Sacramento as their bills were signed into law by the Governor. read more ...

Sacramento – Assemblyman Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that a winner of his “There Oughta Be a Law Contest” was in Sacramento to testify on behalf of her entry which will protect consumers using gift certificates. Assembly Bill 2473, regarding gift certificates in bankruptcy, was unanimously approved by the Assembly Committee on Business and Professions on Tuesday, May 7th. This bill protects consumers by requiring businesses that have declared bankruptcy to honor gift certificates issued prior to the date of the bankruptcy filing. read more ...

Sacramento – Assemblyman Joe Simitian announced today that his Assembly Bill 2474 regarding antifreeze poisoning will be heard in the Assembly Committee on Business and Professions on April 23, 2002. By adding a bittering agent to antifreeze, the bill is designed to improve consumer safety and reduce the number of accidental poisonings suffered by children and animals. read more ...

Sacramento – Winners of Assemblyman Joe Simitian’s (D-Palo Alto) “There Oughta Be a Law” Contest will be coming to Sacramento to testify on behalf of their bills. Three different winners were selected by Simitian, who introduced three bills based on their proposals. read more ...

Sacramento – Assemblyman Joe Simitian announced today that there are three winners in his “There Oughta Be A Law” contest. Simitian sponsored the contest last fall to solicit ideas for new legislation. Nearly 100 people entered the contest. The winning legislative ideas covered diverse issues including consumer rights, environmental protection and public health. read more ...