Lawmaker proposes identity theft bill

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Republican state lawmaker is sponsoring a bill that would allow parents to open up and lock credit accounts for their children as soon as they receive Social Security numbers.

Rep. Eric Hutchings of Kearns told the Daily Herald of Provo he got the idea for his bill when his youngest daughter was born four years ago. He wanted to lock her Social Security number to prevent someone from stealing it, but was told he couldn't do so unless she had an account with a credit bureau.

Hutchings' bill calls for having a child's number validated by the state and then having credit bureaus open an account in the child's name that the parent could then lock.