Credit freeze legislation approved by House

OLYMPIA – A measure to give consumers another weapon in the escalating war on identity theft was unanimously approved by the state House on April 4th.

Previously approved by the Senate, Senate Bill 5826 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.” Senator Jean Berkey, D-Everett, the bill’s sponsor, has agreed to a House amendment which moved up the implementation date to September 2008.

“Clearly law enforcement is stretched thin, and identity theft is often a lower priority than violent crimes,” said Berkey, who authored the original legislation in 2005. “That’s why it is so important for consumers to have the means to protect themselves.”

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 would amend 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
• Those aged 65 years and older would be exempt from fees associated with placing a credit freeze.

“If we expect consumers to responsibly protect themselves, then we need to make sure they have the means to do the job right,” Berkey said. “A credit freeze is an effective tool for self-defense against identity theft.”

The legislature is scheduled to adjourn on April 22.

Return to Sen. Berkey's home page