SALEM—It
will be easier for Oregonians to safeguard their personal information
-- including putting a security freeze on their credit reports --under
a bill that cleared the Senate unanimously Friday and is expected to
become law.
The
Oregon Consumer Identity Theft Protection Act is the product of more
than seven months of negotiations between business, consumer groups and
government officials. The proposal was introduced at the governor's
request and is widely considered to be one of the bills the Legislature
must pass before adjourning sometime next week.
"This is the Legislature playing catch-up," said Laura Etherton, consumer advocate for OSPIRG, following the Senate vote.
A similar proposal was considered during the 2005 session, Etherton said, but "It wasn't a high priority."
Oregon reported 2,815 identity thefts in 2006, a total that ranked 13th among the states by the Federal Trade Commission.
One
of the largest security breaches last year occurred in January when
Providence Health System disclosed that a burglar stole medical records
on 365,000 patients kept on disks and tapes that had been left in an
employee's van overnight. Then in two car break-ins in February and
March, thieves took laptops containing records on 122 Providence
hospice and home care patients in Snohomish County, Wash.
"With
this legislation, Oregonians can be assured that great steps are being
taken to protect their identity," said Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene,
who led the group that negotiated Senate Bill 583.
Supporters
say the bill's most important feature for consumers is the security
freeze, giving people the right to control access to their credit
reports by protecting them with a passcode similar to an ATM personal
identity number.
Currently, consumers can ask for a fraud alert on their credit records.
"A freeze is the only tool that blocks new credit from being issued in your name," Etherton said.
Businesses,
organizations and others that collect personal information, such as a
driver's license or Social Security numbers, would be required under
the bill to alert consumers as soon as possible. It also proposes a
$1,000 penalty for each violation.
