Identity-theft bill gets Senate panel's support

A legislative committee gave unanimous support Wednesday to a bill that would allow the Department of Workforce Services to let clients know if their identity has been stolen.

SB15, sponsored by Sen. Carlene Walker, R-Cottonwood Heights, will be placed on the House's consent calendar for consideration.

Tani Downing, executive director of DWS, cited several examples of the need for the bill, including a 9-year-old whose Social Security number had $36,000 in wages reported in one quarter.

SB15 would allow DWS to "disclose to someone we believe their Social Security number has been compromised," Downing told the House's Workforce Services Committee.

It would also allow her agency to report suspected identity theft to authorities, if a Social Security number is found under which wages for two or more individuals are reported, or if more than $1,000 in wages is reported for children under age 18. SB15 also reduces the penalty for DWS employees who reveal too much information to clients from a class A to a class C misdemeanor.