# Identity theft bill on governor’s desk:



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*Patrick has not yet promised to sign wide-ranging measure*
_By TOM BENNER and JON CHESTO
The Patriot Ledger_
BOSTON - Gov. Deval Patrick says he supports in principle a new identity theft bill passed by the Legislature, but stopped of shorting of promising to sign it into law.

''The governor feels strongly that identity theft is an issue that demands prompt and serious attention,'' said Patrick spokeswoman Cyndi Roy, adding that Patrick has 10 days to review the legislation passed Tuesday.

Quincy Sen. Michael Morrissey, a lead sponsor of the bill, is touting the measure as an overdue and needed protection for consumers.

''This legislation will bring a new level of protection and security to consumers who may fall victim to identity theft,'' Morrissey said. ''The legislation also brings Massachusetts in line with the majority of states who currently offer the option of security freezes to their residents.''

The bill would give consumers the option of freezing access to their credit reports, essentially preventing anyone from opening credit using their identity, for $5 for each of the three major credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. The $5 fee would also be applied to remove the freeze if the consumer wants to take out a loan or open a credit card account, for example. Identity theft victims would be exempt from the $5 fees.

The bill also requires companies that have suffered a breach of their security systems to notify residents who may have been affected by the breach so they can take precautionary measures, such as the security freeze, to prevent their personal information from being compromised.

''The notice provision of this legislation will make businesses and state agencies responsible for notifying consumers in cases where their personal information may have been compromised, and if the company or agency does not comply with the provisions of the bill they may be subject to penalties and will have to answer to the Attorney General,'' Morrissey said.

Massachusetts is among few states to include regulations for the proper disposal of paper documents in its identity theft legislation, Morrissey said. Fines for the improper disposal of paper documents can be up to $100 for each resident affected, with a cap of $50,000 for each incident.

Full Story: http://ledger.southofboston.com/articles/2007/07/18/news/news06.txt


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## Irish Wampanoag (Apr 6, 2003)

Funny the governor feels that identity theft is a serious issue in need of prompt attention. However defending a convicted rapist X2 is also a just cause. Sounds strange to me!!!


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## dcs2244 (Jan 29, 2004)

This guy is a genius...if the bill promised him a new Caddy every year I'll bet he'd have no reservations about making his mark on the bill...


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