Bill would create new agency, extend monitoring

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A senator leading a panel on the S.C. Department of Revenue’s massive security breach has introduced a bill that would provide taxpayers 10 years of state-paid credit monitoring and create more oversight of state computer systems.

Sen. Kevin Bryant proposed a bill Wednesday creating a new Department of Information Security that would report to the governor. Its chief information security officer would set statewide policies for agencies to follow.

The proposal would also create a new unit within Consumer Affairs to help victims of identity theft. It would create two separate committees to craft a statewide technology plan and recommend changes in the law to keep up with technology.

Bryant says his bill is a draft to jumpstart debate. It follows last fall’s theft of millions of taxpayers’ personal data.