Congressman Sam Johnson (R-TX), Chairman, Subcommittee on Social Security of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing to examine the role of Social Security numbers in identity theft and options to guard their privacy.  The hearing will take place on Wednesday, April 13, 2011, in room B-318 Rayburn House Office Building, beginning at 2:00 p.m.

In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only.  However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Subcommittee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.

BACKGROUND:

Identity theft is the fastest growing type of fraud in the United States, affecting 11.1 million victims in 2009, up 12 percent since 2008.  The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates that identity theft costs consumers about $50 billion annually.  Further, identity theft is often used to facilitate other crimes, including credit card, document, or employment fraud.  The Social Security number (SSN) is especially valuable to identity thieves as it serves as the key to authenticating an individual’s identity in order to open accounts or obtain other benefits in the victim’s name.  

Although created in 1936 solely to track workers’ earnings for Social Security benefit purposes, use of the SSN has become widespread.  Largely because the SSN is permanent and unique to an individual, SSNs are used by many industries, including financial institutions, insurers, universities, health care providers, and government agencies.  While many SSN uses are beneficial and required by law, such as for purposes of employment and taxation, other uses may not be necessary, such as displaying it on an identification card.   

Despite its important role, there is no Federal law that requires comprehensive confidentiality protection for the SSN.  However, there are laws that provide limited SSN confidentiality.  For example, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (P.L. 106-102) restricts the reuse and redisclosure of certain personal information, including SSNs, by financial institutions.  Also, many States have enacted legislation to restrict the use, disclosure, or display of SSNs.

In 2006, the President established an Identity Theft Task Force to coordinate Federal agencies’ efforts against identity theft.  One of many recommendations in its 2007 report was to decrease the unnecessary use of SSNs in the public sector.  In response to the Task Force’s mandate for the study of private sector uses of SSNs, the FTC developed recommendations to reduce the availability of SSNs to identity thieves while preserving legitimate uses. 

In announcing the hearing, Chairman Sam Johnson (R-TX) stated, “Americans are rightly worried about the security of their personal information, including their Social Security number.  We must  stop overuse and abuse of Social Security numbers in order to help prevent ID theft and further protect Americans’ privacy.” 

FOCUS OF THE HEARING:

The Subcommittee will examine the impacts of identity theft, the role of SSNs in abetting identity theft, and options to restrict its use.  In addition, the role of the SSN in administering Social Security programs and how the Social Security Administration protects SSNs will be considered, along with legislative proposals to limit the use of SSNs. 

DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:

Please Note: Any person(s) and/or organization(s) wishing to submit for the hearing record must follow the appropriate link on the hearing page of the Committee website and complete the informational forms. From the Committee homepage, https://waysandmeans.house.gov, select “Hearings.”  Select the hearing for which you would like to submit, and click on the link entitled, “Click here to provide a submission for the record.”  Once you have followed the online instructions, submit all requested information. ATTACH your submission as a Word or WordPerfect document, in compliance with the formatting requirements listed below, by the close of business on Wednesday, May 4, 2011.  Finally, please note that due to the change in House mail policy, the U.S. Capitol Police will refuse sealed-package deliveries to all House Office Buildings. For questions, or if you encounter technical problems, please call (202) 225-1721 or (202) 225-3625.

FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:

The Committee relies on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.  As always, submissions will be included in the record according to the discretion of the Committee.  The Committee will not alter the content of your submission, but we reserve the right to format it according to our guidelines.  Any submission provided to the Committee by a witness, any supplementary materials submitted for the printed record, and any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below.  Any submission or supplementary item not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

1. All submissions and supplementary materials must be provided in Word or WordPerfect format and MUST NOT exceed a total of 10 pages, including attachments. Witnesses and submitters are advised that the Committee relies on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.

2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased.  All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

3. All submissions must include a list of all clients, persons and/or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.  A supplemental sheet must accompany each submission listing the name, company, address, telephone, and fax numbers of each witness.

The Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with disabilities.  If you are in need of special accommodations, please call 202-225-1721 or 202-226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event (four business days notice is requested).  Questions with regard to special accommodation needs in general (including availability of Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the Committee as noted above.

Note: All Committee advisories and news releases are available on the World Wide Web at http://www.waysandmeans.house.gov/.