Committee approves bill to protect credit reports

From my local paper, an article about a bill proposed in the Utah legislature to offer more protection of Utah residents' credit reports.

"Credit reports are readily accessible, and they include things like account information, dates of birth and Social Security numbers.

As a result, they have become a popular tool for identity thieves, who use them to drain accounts or open new ones in victims' names.

A bill that would put Utah at the fore of protecting people's credit reports, while also allowing expedited access for legitimate businesses, received a favorable recommendation from the Utah Senate Business and Labor Committee on Thursday.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Carlene Walker, R-Cottonwood Heights, would allow people to put freezes on their credit reports, meaning they could be accessed only with a password.

Thirteen states have similar laws, but they all allow credit-reporting agencies days to respond to requests to unfreeze reports. To facilitate commerce, Walker's bill would require that credit-reporting agencies unfreeze reports in 15 minutes or less."

Daily Herald article