Improved credit freeze law is ‘an ounce of prevention'

OLYMPIA – Identity theft continues to be a serious problem in Washington, but the Senate today gave consumers another weapon for self-defense.

Senate Bill 5826, sponsored by Sen. Jean Berkey, D-Everett, improves upon the state’s two-year-old credit freeze law by expanding it to all consumers while also allowing for a short-term “thaw.”

“It is simply a matter of being proactive, by preventing identity theft rather than reacting after the theft has occurred,” said Berkey, who authored the original legislation in 2005.

Current law allows only victims of identity theft the option of prohibiting a credit reporting agency from releasing credit information without the consumer’s authorization.

SB 5826, approved unanimously by the Senate, amends current law in several ways:

• Credit freeze provisions would apply to all consumers, not just victims of identity theft;
• Consumers could request a short-term thaw in order to access their credit in an emergency;
• Responsibilities would be defined for both the consumer and the credit reporting agency when the request is made; and
• Fee limits would be established.

“As the saying goes: ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,’” Berkey said. “Let’s make sure consumers can protect themselves.”

SB 5826 now goes to the House of Representatives for further consideration.

Return to Sen. Berkey's home page