Virginia Governor Signs Directive Requiring Enhanced Card Payment Security

On May 5, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe signed an executive directive which sets enhanced security requirements for the purchase card program used by state agencies, including the implementation of "chip and pin" technology by December.  The directive further instructed Virginia's treasurer, comptroller, and secretaries of finance and technology to implement enhanced payment technologies that "meet or exceed" federal standards for the state's prepaid debit card, merchant, and purchase card programs.

"Ensuring the safety of citizen data is a critical responsibility of the Commonwealth of Virginia," the Governor stated in the executive directive.  "In the face of ever-increasing cybersecurity attacks on consumer and business-related entities, I am committed to ensuring that transactions conducted between citizens and the Commonwealth meet the highest level of transactional security standards."