ID theft bill appears again on legislative agendas

Claiming Massachusetts continues to trail other states in protecting its citizens from one of the nation's fastest growing crimes, lawmakers and consumer advocates said Thursday they hope to pass legislation this session requiring consumers to be notified of identity security breaches that may affect them and allowing consumers to block outside access to their personal credit reports.

According to Eric Bourassa, a consumer advocate with the MassPIRG Education Fund, 26 states have passed laws allowing individuals to freeze access to credit reports and 34 states have adopted laws requiring consumers to be notified by entities that disclose personal information about individuals that could lead to identity theft. Bourassa said that Massachusetts stands alone in New England in not having passed laws addressing either issue.

During a briefing and press conference in a basement hearing room today, a half dozen state representatives and Sen. Jarrett Barrios expressed hope that ID theft legislation would advance further this session than in the last one, when it cleared one legislative committee and died in another, never reaching the House or Senate floors for debates or votes. Barrios represents parts of East Somerville.

Lawmakers said the legislature's focus on a massive health care law, concerns with the ID theft bill from credit reporting agencies, and the complex nature of drafting an ID theft bill contributed to the legislation's demise last session. Rep. Michael Costello (D-Amesbury), a former assistant district attorney, said ID theft complaints commonly took a backseat to prosecution of other crimes. Passing laws to prevent the crime and creating a sophisticated team to prosecute future crimes are essential steps, Costello said.