Michigan
House To Vote On Enhanced Identity Theft Laws Among the change in emphasis is restricting use of social security information in formats that can be publicly displayed, such as university identification cards and health insurance cards, but protecting internal usage. If used in a publicly-displayed fashion, usage of the complete number would be prohibited. The original package passed by the Senate had also placed strong barriers against providing social security information to third parties, but then outlined a series of exemptions for things such as legitimate business uses such as health care or employee benefits, debt collection or credit history checks. Rep. Bill Van Regenmorter (R-Hudsonville), chair of the committee, said the committee action was "just another step in the process. We will continue the dialogue." In general, the bills make it a felony to steal and use another person's identity, or items identified with them such as their credit cards, to purchase goods or apply for a job. Identity theft would carry a punishment of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000. The House changes also help facilitate police investigations of identity theft by defining the venue where the hard-to-prosecute crimes may legally be said to occur. James Cavanagh, a lobbyist for the Consumer Data Industry Association, said major elements that still need to be addressed include pre-emption provisions of a federal Fair Credit Reporting Act enacted in December as the Senate passed its version of the package, and protect the ability of companies to conduct background investigations for such purposes as prospective employees, people in fiduciary positions or day care centers. Courtesy of: http://www.mitechnews.com/technews/bydate.htm?id=10953072000001 |