Social Security Number Protection Act of 2006
Latest action · Nov 17, 2006 House Committee on Ways and Means Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Dec. 8, 2006.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMar 3, 2005
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Social Security Number Protection Act of 2006 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to make it unlawful for any person to sell or purchase a Social Security number in a manner that violates a regulation promulgated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Directs the FTC to promulgate regulations restricting the sale and purchase of such numbers and any unfair or deceptive acts or practices involved in such a sale or purchase. Requires such regulations to be no broader than necessary to: (1) provide reasonable assurance that Social Security numbers will not be used to commit or facilitate fraud, deception, or crime; and (2) prevent an undue risk of bodily, emotional, or financial harm to individuals.
Requires such regulations also to include exceptions which permit the sale and purchase of Social Security numbers to the extent necessary for: (1) law enforcement, national security, and public health purposes; (2) research conducted for the purpose of advancing public knowledge, subject to certain conditions; and (3) legitimate consumer credit verification, if the numbers used are redacted in accordance with uniform redaction standards established by the FTC in such regulations.
Requires exceptions also for the sale and purchase of such numbers to the extent: (1) necessary in emergency situations to protect the health or safety of one or more individuals; and (2) consistent with an individual's voluntary and affirmative written consent to the sale or purchase of his or her number.
Prescribes enforcement requirements. Authorizes states to bring civil actions on behalf of state residents in a U.S. district court to: (1) enjoin an act or practice; (2) enforce compliance with the regulation; (3) obtain civil penalties in an amount of $11,000 per violation, up to a total of $5 million; or (4) obtain other appropriate legal and equitable relief.
Allows the U.S. Attorney General to institute a criminal proceeding for a violation of this Act.
Cosponsors 24
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 3, 2005 to Nov 13, 2006; 5 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Original | Mar 3, 2005 |
| D-CA | George Miller | Original | Mar 3, 2005 |
| D-CA | Lois Capps | Original | Mar 3, 2005 |
| D-NY | Michael R. McNulty | Original | Mar 3, 2005 |
| D-IL | Rahm Emanuel | Original | Mar 3, 2005 |
| D-MI | Dale E. Kildee | Mar 10, 2005 | |
| D-NJ | Frank Pallone, Jr. | Mar 14, 2005 | |
| D-OH | Sherrod Brown | Mar 16, 2005 | |
| D-TN | Bart Gordon | Apr 14, 2005 | |
| D-MN | Betty McCollum | Apr 14, 2005 | |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Apr 14, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Louise McIntosh Slaughter | Apr 14, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Tom Lantos | Apr 14, 2005 | |
| D-MA | John F. Tierney | Apr 27, 2005 | |
| D-MO | Ike Skelton | May 17, 2005 | |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | Jun 16, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Doris O. Matsui | Jun 22, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Major R. Owens | Jun 22, 2005 | |
| D-MD | Albert Russell Wynn | Sep 21, 2005 | |
| R-TX | Joe Barton | Jul 24, 2006 | |
| D-CA | Anna G. Eshoo | Jul 26, 2006 | |
| D-MI | John D. Dingell | Jul 26, 2006 | |
| R-TX | Michael C. Burgess | Jul 26, 2006 | |
| D-IL | Jerry F. Costello | Nov 13, 2006 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Mar 3, 2005Markup Jul 26, 2006Reported Sep 30, 2006 |
| Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee | Referred Mar 14, 2005 | |
| House | Ways and Means Committee | Referred Mar 3, 2005 |
| Social Security Subcommittee | Referred Mar 11, 2005 |
Actions 10
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Nov 17, 2006House Committee on Ways and Means Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Dec. 8, 2006.
- Sep 29, 2006Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 109-708, Part I.
- Sep 29, 2006House Committee on Ways and Means Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Nov. 17, 2006.
- Jul 26, 2006Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Jul 26, 2006Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E368 | Edward J. Markey D-MA | Mar 3, 2005 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimates 2
- Aug 17, 2006H.R. 1078, Social Security Number Protection Act of 2006<p>Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on July 26, 2006</p>
- Aug 17, 2006H.R. 1078, Social Security Number Protection Act of 2006Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on July 26, 2006
Printed hearings 2
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 109-91 | SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS IN COMMERCE: RECONCILING BENEFICIAL USES WITH THREATS TO PRIVACY71 pages | Energy and Commerce Committee | May 11, 2006 |
| Serial No. 109-14 | SECURING CONSUMERS' DATA: OPTIONS FOLLOWING SECURITY BREACHES65 pages | Energy and Commerce Committee | May 11, 2005 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To strengthen the authority of the Federal Government to protect individuals from certain acts and practices in the sale and purchase of Social Security numbers and Social Security account numbers, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Social Security Number Protection Act of 2005
- Short Titles as Reported to House
- Social Security Number Protection Act of 2006
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Commerce.
- Administrative procedure
- Civil actions and liability
- Commerce
- Consumer protection
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Damages
- Federal Trade Commission
- Federal-state relations
- Fines (Penalties)
- Fraud
- Government Operations and Politics
- Identity theft
- Independent regulatory commissions
- Injunctions
- Law
- Parties to actions
- Restrictive trade practices
- Social security numbers
- Social Welfare
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Mar 3, 2005Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.