WESTCHESTER, Ill. – A measure sponsored by state Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, to combat future cyber-attacks on government agencies and breaching sensitive public information has been signed into law.

“After what this country went through last year during the presidential election and Russian hacks into voter information and more, this is a good step toward creating a more secure state with well-equipped state agencies to prevent breaches,” Welch said. “Employees of various state agencies will now be tested and trained to fight future cybersecurity attacks and maintain the integrity of their departments.”

Welch’s House Bill 2371 creates the Data Security on State Computers Act, which will be administered through the Department of Innovation & Technology and made available online for state employees to undergo annually. Welch’s bill comes in response to the massive data and information breaches as recently as last year, during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, when then-presidential candidate Donald Trump openly and actively urged a foreign nation to seek and hack email information on a federal agency.

“Hackers are relentless when it comes to trying to discover other people’s personal and private information for their own gain or to create chaos. We need to make sure that taxpayer-funded agencies are able to withstand and prevent hacks and breaches,” said Welch. “My law will be a good place to start making that a reality.”