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Senate Advances Bill Letting Workforce Services Warn Victims of Social Security Misuse
Summary
The Senate advanced S.B.15 to allow Workforce Services employees to notify rightful owners (or parents of minors) when wages are reported under their Social Security numbers and to lower penalties linked to disclosure, following testimony about widespread misuse discovered in agency wage-data matches.
Senators on Jan. 11 advanced S.B.15, sponsored by Senator Walker, a measure designed to let Workforce Services frontline staff inform victims when their Social Security numbers are being misused and to adjust criminal penalties for staff who disclose information improperly.
Senator Walker said Workforce Services' internal wage-matching report showed roughly 1,200 cases where wages were reported under Social Security numbers of children 12 and under and highlighted extreme individual examples, saying the top three lines on the agency's chart included earnings of roughly $36,000 and $28,000 for a 3-month period attributed to a 12-year-old. He said the bill would allow staff to notify rightful owners or parents, require reporting suspected misuse to law enforcement, and reduce the penalty for unlawful disclosure by staff from a class A misdemeanor to a class C misdemeanor.
Senator Romero expressed support and asked about the disposition of earnings tied to misused Social Security numbers; Walker answered that those earnings are placed in a separate account and do not credit the rightful owner's Social Security account, urging congressional action to address the federal dimension.
Roll call followed on advancing the bill; members gave brief explanations of their votes, including Senator Madsen who noted a possible conflict and personal experience with a stolen Social Security card. The Senate recorded that S.B.15 was advanced toward third reading.
What happens next: S.B.15 will return for third reading and final passage. The bill places new disclosure allowances and reporting duties on the state agency and clarifies penalties for improper staff disclosures.
