CONSUMER PROTECTION—OSPIRG Advocate Laura Etherton discusses identity theft consumer protections with Rep. Galizio (Tigard).

Legislature Takes Up Identity Theft Bill

The Oregon Legislature is expected to pass the Oregon Consumer Identity Theft Protection Act before adjourning in June. In April, the Oregon Senate Commerce Committee, chaired by Sen. Floyd Prozanski, passed the bill, Senate Bill 583. The bill would provide protections against identity theft that are similar to the protections many other states have enacted.

Oregon ranks 13th in the nation for identity theft, the country’s fastest growing crime, thanks in part to sloppy security practices on the part of department stores, banks and other financial entities. This access to financial information creates the ideal opportunity for identity thieves to commit fraud. Victims of identity theft spend thousands of dollars and hours and hours to restore their good names.

Senate Bill 583, sponsored by Sen. Prozanski, requires businesses and government entities to quickly notify consumers if the security of their personal information has been compromised, and gives Oregon consumers the right to place a security freeze on their credit reports. Such a freeze blocks identity thieves from opening fraudulent accounts in the victim’s name, even in the event of lost data.

OSPIRG’s Laura Etherton served on the Interim Identity Theft Workgroup led by Sen. Prozanski, which helped to craft the bill.