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Identity Theft Prevention Act
by Deborah L. Alexander
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Overview
The Identity Theft Prevention Act was introduced into Congress in 2005 by Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. It was sent to subcommittee for review and not released again.
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New Social Security Numbers
The act would require issuance of new Social Security numbers for everyone within five years of enactment.
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Use of Social Security Numbers
The new Social Security numbers would only be used for administration of the Social Security program. They could not be used as identifiers for other programs or by private sector businesses.
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Repeal of Part of HIPAA
The Health Insurance Portability and Accessibility Act (HIPAA) would be modified. The requirement in HIPAA for a national medical identification system would be repealed.
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No New Identification Numbers
The federal government would be prevented from issuing any other national identification numbers or cards.
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State Actions
Many states have laws titled "Identity Theft Prevention Act." However, they are not related to the federal bill.
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Model State Law
The Consumer Union of the U.S., Inc., and the state Public Interest Research Groups have authored a model state law upon which some states have based their laws. The model state law is focused on consumer protections through giving consumers rights to help protect their identity instead of the Federal Bill's focus on restricting access to Social Security numbers.
