ID Theft Update: Congressman Barton

Representative Joe Barton, the Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, signals not just his willingness, but his eagerness, to be seen as at the forefront of federal legislative action to combat ID theft in a letter to The New York Times printed this morning.

Here it is:


Washington, April 18, 2005



To the Editor:

Your take on a leading cause of identity theft was exactly right: nobody should have his or her Social Security number sold without permission.

Some say otherwise, and they've been pleading their case before my committee lately. But the plain fact is that in our society, our Social Security numbers are the keys to the bank vault for swindlers.

I'm probably going to be a lot more careful about imposing regulation on business and the economy than you would like, but if it takes action to stop the buying and selling of Social Security numbers without the knowledge and agreement of consumers, count me in.

Joe Barton
Chairman, House
Energy and Commerce Committee
Washington, April 18, 2005