(Juneau) - Sen. Gene Therriault (R - North Pole) and Sen. Gretchen Guess (D - Anchorage) have introduced legislation to more responsibly handle consumer's private records. The bill will have its first hearing Tuesday, January 24, 2006 in the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee meeting at 1:30 pm.

"In this age of identity theft and prolific consumer record keeping the opportunity for exploitation of citizens is tremendous. When mistakes are made, responsible parties need to cooperate with consumers and rectify the problems as quickly as possible," said Sen. Therriault.

"Those who wish to be in the business of collecting and controlling personal information must accept the full range of responsibilities associated with the critical nature of those records," said Sen. Guess.

SB 222 protects consumer's private information in several ways:

• When the personal records of consumers are compromised through a security breach, record keepers must notify affected parties without unreasonable delay. (Establishes penalties and civil remedies.)
• Allows an individual to invoke a security freeze to be placed on all or part of personal information being released by a consumer-reporting agency about the individual. (Establishes civil remedy and penalties.)
• Requires credit agencies to be accurate in their reporting and responsible for any damage caused through the release of inaccurate credit information, including compensation. (Establishes civil remedy.)
• Limits the public release of a person's social security number except with consent. (Establishes penalties and civil remedies for violations.)
• Requires responsible protection in the disposal of personal information through the use of effective record destruction. (Establishes penalties and civil remedies for violations.)

WHO: Senate Labor & Commerce Committee
WHAT: First Hearing for Consumer Records Protection Bill (SB 222)
WHEN: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 @ 1:30 pm
WHERE: State Capitol Building, Beltz Committee Room, #211

# # #

01-23-06 : Sen. Therriault says they are working in a cooperative manner with all the stakeholders to craft legislation that protects consumers and the information industry.

=

Gene Therriault 296 KB

=

Gene Therriault 37 KB

01-23-06 : Sen. Guess says the legislation not only protects private information from falling in the wrong hands, it helps Alaskans stop their information from being used illegally if it is compromised.

=

Gretchen Guess 157 KB

=

Gretchen Guess 19 KB