When Texas freezes over Posted by jamere at 04/13/05 03:55 PM

I testified yesterday in support of SB 100, a Texas bill to allow consumers to put a “security freeze” on their credit file.
The security freeze would help prevent identity theft. Current Texas law allows a person to request a security freeze only after there’s a problem and you have to submit a police report or proof that the FTC has issued an alert verifying a risk to your personal data.

Sitting in the committee listening to the credit reporting and retail industries’ self-interested and lame excuses
for opposing this bill reminded me why Consumers Union is trying to get more people involved in the legislative and other policy making processes. Witness list here.

The bill’s opponents argued that Texan’s shouldn’t be allowed to take preventive steps to protect their personal financial information from identity thieves and careless businesses. Instead people would have to rely solely on the police or a federal agency. This is a pretty thin argument in Texas where self reliance is almost a religion – brrr, is that the chilly hand of the ghosts of the Alamo I feel.

The corporate interests are in the state capitols all day and entertaining policymakers all night and on weekends. It takes a lot of time and money to tilt the entire economy their way. It’s going to take a lot of everyday people talking to policymakers to level the field.

Consumers Union has been fighting industry lobbyists in the Texas capitol for decades. Frankly, I don’t know how we survived running up such a steep incline for so long, but I’m getting a second wind just thinking about how different the process could be if legislators knew their constituents were actively paying attention to what happens in the halls of power.

This post ends on a happy note. Thanks in part to a lot of letters in support, the Senator’s voted FOR the security freeze bill and the bill should be on its way to the Senate floor for a full vote. But it needs support from a two thirds majority of Senators to get to the floor in Texas. Opponents will be working their stealth attack – back room arm twisting and the like. That’s the strategy insider lobbyists use when they have to kill a bill that has public support. The only response is strong pressure from all of us. If you live in Texas and want to tell your Senator to vote FOR SB 100, you can pull up the office phone number here by typing in your zip code then selecting “State Officials.” For more information on the bill, visit our Texas page.

comments (2)

1 Posted by alevin at 04/14/05 02:53 PM

Jamere,

Is there a House companion to the bill as well?

Thanks,

Adina

2 Posted by Jefe at 04/15/05 09:32 AM

SB 100 does not have a House companion. If SB 100 passes the Senate, it must make its way through the House. There are, however, several other Senate and House bills dealing either directly or tangentially with the subject of Identity Theft. You can find most of the bills on the subject by going to Texas Legislature Online and doing a text search of the terms "Identity Theft", "Security Freeze" and "Financial Privacy".