Identity Theft: An Overview of Proposed Legislation in the 107th Congress

Publication Date: February 2003

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Economics

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Abstract:

This report provides an overview of legislation proposed during the 107th Congress to address the growing problem of identity theft.1 Much of the legislation from the 107th Congress sought to prevent identity theft through a variety of measures, including placing limitations on the use of social security numbers, requiring the truncation of credit card numbers, and placing additional limitations on access to consumer credit reports. Legislation was also introduced aimed at assisting victims with the oftentimes arduous task of removing information resulting from identity theft from their credit reports, and providing greater criminal penalties for those convicted of identity theft and related crimes. The bills are arranged by chamber and presented in numerical order (Senate Bills: S. 848, S. 1014, S. 1399, S. 1723, S. 1742, S. 2541, S. 3100, House Bills: H.R. 220, H.R. 1478, H.R. 2036, H.R. 3053, H.R. 3368, H.R. 4513, H.R. 4678, H.R. 5424, H.R. 5474, H.R. 5588).

During the 108th Congress, identity theft is likely to once again be a focus of the legislative agenda. Since the Federal Trade Commission first identified identity theft as the number one consumer complaint in 2000, problems associated with identity theft have grown. Despite efforts at the state level to prevent identity theft and provide assistance to victims, many consumer organizations believe that comprehensive federal legislation is necessary.