Speech #1100019675

My bill tears down the wall that prevents the sharing of existing information among Government agencies. It permits the Commissioner of Social Security to secure information with the Secretary of Homeland Security where such information is likely to assist in discovering identity theft. Social Security number misuse. or violations of immigration law. Specifically. it requires the Commissioner to inform the Secretary of Homeland Security upon discovery of a Social Security account number being used with multiple names or where an individual has more than one person reporting earnings for him or her during a single tax year. It seems logical that we would already be doing this. but we are not. In the meantime. identity theft is plaguing innocent victims all across the country. We were reminded of the pervasiveness of this problem by the recent ICE raids of six Swift and Company meatpacking plants across the country last December. In total. agents apprehended 1.282 illegal alien workers on administrative immigration violations. Of these. 65 have also been charged with criminal violations related to identity theft or other violations. Unfortunately. for the victims of identity theft. by the time the identity theft is discovered. the damage has already been done.