(ABC 6 News)- In the hopes for more online security, Minnesota lawmakers and the Minnesota Department of Commerce passed a bill to help companies protect user data that goes into affect on Thursday.

“We’re seeing a lot more information breeches across the state or across non-bank entities in particular such as mortgage servicers. This initiative is really important to bring forward protection to consumers on that information realm,” said Michael Crow, who is the Senior Director of Financial Institutions for the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

The new law will give the state more control and will require mortgage, money services, and consumer finance nonbanks to develop and put in place a cybersecurity program to help protect against and manage through unwarranted cybersecurity events, implement a plan to promptly respond to and recover from a cybersecurity event, and promptly notify Commerce about cybersecurity events affecting 500 or more consumers.

“It requires these institutions to implement information security programs. It also requires them to implement incident response plans should that they experience information hack or some sort,” Crow said.

To be prepared in the case of a data breech.

“It also requires these institutions to notify the department if there is a breech within 45 days of becoming aware of that breech. So it gives us that oversight when we abduct our oversight of examinations,” said Crow.

With cyber security hacks increasing across the country, including right here in Southeastern Minnesota, Vince Guera, a local computer technician at Computer Resource Center in Rochester, said, “This is the world we live in nowadays. I mean, most things are done online or on computers, there’s not really hard copies anymore, so having these requirements is a great thing.”

Minnesota is the first state in the country to pass three model acts designed to provide consumer protections.