Identity Theft Legislation in the works for Michigan ~ my home state of long ago

Identity theft victims will be able to seek compensation for the time and effort it takes to clean up damaged credit history under legislation approved Wednesday (July 15th) by the Michigan State House Judiciary Committee.

The bipartisan package of identity theft protection bills also updates Michigan law by better defining what constitutes identity theft and increasing penalties.  House Bill 4737, sponsored by state Rep. Matt Lori, makes victims of identity theft eligible for restitution from the Michigan Crime Victim Compensation Fund.  This is the first bill sponsored by Lori to be approved in committee.

In reporting the committee action on his legislation, the Constantine Republican said, “Because of the amount of business conducted online, identity theft is becoming an increasingly common crime and harder to prevent.  This legislation will give prosecutors the tools they need to go after these criminals and provide residents greater protection against identity theft.”

Lori noted that victims of identity theft must often spend years trying to fully restore their credit history and clear their name.   [he used the word must ~ I disagree, there is a real solution]

Lori said, “Victims of identity theft must often spend years cleaning up the mess – a frustrating, expensive and time-consuming hassle.  These bills give victims the opportunity to seek restitution for their effort.” This is why you need the better answer before you become a victim [approx 27,000 per day file reports], as found at Talk Solutions Today

In addition to increasing penalties and helping victims recover, the legislation also reduces the risk of identity theft by establishing procedures for companies to properly destroy personal data.  That is the key ~ because you “can’t Prevent” it, or protect yourself.  The Peace of Mind you can have is that you can Reduce Your Risks and Limit Your Liabilities.

The bills now head to the full House for consideration.

This entry was posted on July 17, 2009 at 8:58 am and is filed under IDT - Legislation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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