JBS Action Alert: Support H.R.220 - Common Sense About Identity Theft and REAL ID
By JBS Staff
Published: 2008-05-16 18:36 Email this page | printer friendly version

House bill H.R.220, short-titled the "Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2007," was introduced on January 4, 2007 by (2008 presidential candidate) Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX). See: [cosponsors], [bill text], [CRS summary]. The bill purportedly would:

* reduce identity theft by prohibiting the use of a Social Security number for any purpose other than for specified Social Security and tax purposes;
* prohibit the federal government from establishing a national ID or uniform identifier system; and
* prevent federal agencies from using federal grants, contracts, or funding (the carrot and stick strategy) to compel or blackmail states into accepting uniform ID standards that would create a de facto national ID system.

Read: Rep. Ron Paul's speech introducing H.R.220

The federalizing of state driver's licenses through title II of the REAL ID Act of 2005 has met strong opposition from state governments and activists. Several congressional bills have been introduced that relate to the national ID controversy:

* H.R.1117 and S.717 would merely negotiate about national ID standards and implement who-knows-what, with huge new federal grants. REAL ID was foisted on America and should be ended, not amended.
* H.R.5405 would transform the Social Security card into a de facto national ID card. The Social Security number is already abused as a uniform identifier, but H.R.5405 would facilitate expanding such use and have privacy and security risks similar to that of a federalized RFID drivers license.
* H.R.220 would repeal the federal law that established a driver's license/national ID card and clamp down on both governmental and private sector abuse of Social Security numbers. We favor this bill.

Rep. Paul introduced similar legislation with the same bill number in the 109th Congress*, the 107th Congress*, and the 106th Congress*. (*Check who the cosponsors were.) Those bills died in the committee stage, never to receive an up or down vote by the House. Help bring the latest version of H.R.220 out of committee and to the House floor for a vote. Ask your congressman to cosponsor H.R.220 if he or she has not already done so. [cosponsors] The likelihood that a bill will be voted on increases in proportion to the number of cosponsors a bill has. It is a bonus if your representative is the chairmann, the ranking member, or even just a regular member of any of the following committees to which H.R.220 was referred:

* House Ways and Means Committee (41 members)
* House Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Social Security (13 members)
* House Oversight and Government Reform Committee (41 members)

The establishing of a national ID card has far-reaching ramifications, with the draconian potential that someday every citizen might be required to use a trackable national ID card in order maintain a livelihood or function in society. Furthermore, the REAL ID rebellion among the states over federal requirements to make state driver's licenses serve as a national ID card demands the fullest possible debate by Congress on the entire range of legislative options, including the plan of H.R.220. This bill should not be swept under the rug by a committee.


TAKE ACTION!


http://www.jbs.org/node/8068