TRENTON—Today the New Jersey Legislature passed the potent, comprehensive "Identity Theft Prevention Act" with overwhelming, bipartisan majorities in each house. The law limits the use and display of social security numbers, requires business to thoroughly destroy discarded documents, requires businesses to notify consumers if an unauthorized person accesses enough information to steal their identity, and empowers consumers to prevent new account fraud with a user-friendly "security freeze."

"This law's strong provisions and its broad, bipartisan support prove the Legislature is committed to solving the identity theft problem," said Abigail Caplovitz of NJPIRG. "We look forward to the Governor signing it into law."

The bill's marquee provision is the "security freeze", the right to control access to your credit report. If used, the security freeze prevents identity thieves from getting new credit in your name. "Other states have created security freezes that are expensive or difficult to use," said Caplovitz, "so very few consumers choose to use the freeze. The freeze is like the lock on your front door; if you don't use it, it doesn't keep thieves out. There's no point in creating a freeze that people won't use. The legislature recognized that, and created the best, most consumer friendly security freeze in the country. All consumers are going to wish they were lucky enough to be New Jerseyans."

New Jersey's freeze is better than all others because (1) the credit reporting agencies must provide a convenient method of use, such as phone or internet; (2) the credit reporting agencies must lift the freeze as quickly as possible, with the goal being within 15 minutes; (3) the freeze is free to put on and $5 to temporarily lift; and (4) it is available to all consumers. Other states' freezes authorize but don't require a convenient method of use; allow up to three days to lift; cost more; and, in some states, are limited to Identity Theft victims only.

"The Legislature's message to New Jerseyans is clear," said Caplovitz, "in a world where your personal information is a hot commodity and largely out of your control, it must be as easy for you to protect your identity as it is for a thief to shop with it."

During the committee hearings on the bill, two identity theft victims testified, Steven Comeau and Janice Burke. Each suffered years of agony dealing with the consequences of identity theft that a security freeze could have prevented. With a freeze in place, Mr. Comeau's thief couldn't have taken out a mortgage, a credit card, or cell phones in Mr. Comeau's name. If Ms. Burke had had the freeze on, her thief would have been denied many credit cards, phones, utility accounts, and a new car.

"Passing this bill helps people protect themselves," said Caplovitz, "what happened to Steve and Janice shouldn't happen to anyone, and with this law, it needn't. We urge every New Jerseyan to put the security freeze on their credit report on January 1, 2006, the day the law takes effect."

NJPIRG Citizen Lobby is one of the state's largest advocacy groups, working for the public interest on behalf of our 25,000 members. Our mission is to deliver persistent, results oriented public interest activism that protects our environment, encourages a fair, sustainable economy, and fosters responsive, democratic government. We uncover threats to public health and well-being and fight to end them, using the time tested tools of investigative research, media exposés, grassroots organizing, advocacy and litigation.

This spring and summer, NJPIRG is working to accomplish five priorities: to pass legislation to clean up unhealthy pollution diesel trucks and buses, to pass legislation that prevents identity theft and aids its victims, to adopt state regulations to increase our state's renewable energy goal to 20% by 2020, to ensure Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield's assets are directed toward making health coverage more accessible and affordable, and to register an estimated 10,000 young people to vote in the next election this November.