Earlier this week, Senators unanimously approved “legislation by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) that aims to reduce identity theft by protecting the privacy of Social Security numbers,” according to a press release.
The Social Security Number Protection Act stops prison work programs from granting prisoners access to Social Security numbers. The Social Security Administration had warned that employing prisoners in jobs that require them to access Social Security numbers increases the chances of identity theft.
The Social Security Administration’s Inspector General found that as of March 2010, facilities in eight states continued to employ prisoners in these jobs.
The bill, passed by unanimous consent Tuesday night, would require government entities to stop employing prisoners in any jobs that require access to Social Security numbers within one year. It also would prohibit any federal, state or local agency from printing Social Security numbers on government checks.
The bill is S. 3789.
(credit image – daily mail)
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