I 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 50 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 6, 2009 Mr. Kirk (for himself and Mr. Roskam) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means A BILL To protect seniors from identity theft and strengthen our national security by providing for the issuance of a secure Social Security card.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Social Security Identity Theft Prevention Act.

2.

Updated and secure social security cards

(a)

In General

Section 205(c)(2)(G) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 405(c)(2)(G)) is amended— (1)by inserting (i) after (G); (2)in the last sentence, by striking shall be made of banknote paper, and; and (3)by adding at the end the following new clauses: (ii)A social security card issued pursuant to clause (i) of this subparagraph to an individual described in subparagraph (B)(ii) shall— (I)be made of tamperproof and wear-resistant material; (II)have clearly marked on its face the name and social security account number of the individual to whom the card is issued; (III)in the case of a card issued to an individual after attaining age 16, display a digital image, captured directly by an officer or employee of the Social Security Administration acting in his or her official capacity, of the person to whom the social security account number was issued and the date on which that image was captured; and (IV)contain an encrypted, machine-readable electronic record which shall include records of biometric identifiers unique to the individual to whom the card is issued, including a copy of any digitized facial image printed on the face of the card pursuant to subclause (III). (iii)The Commissioner shall take such actions as are necessary to ensure that replacement cards meeting the requirements of clause (ii)(III) are issued to individuals upon attaining age 16. (iv)The Commissioner may charge a reasonable fee to the recipient as a condition for issuance of a social security card under this subparagraph to an individual described in subparagraph (B)(ii). Fees charged under this clause shall be in amounts not greater than amounts necessary to meet the administrative costs attributable to the requirements of clauses (ii) and (iii) of this subparagraph. Amounts received by the Commissioner under this clause shall be deposited in the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and shall be available for use by the Commissioner solely for purposes of meeting such requirements. . (b)

Effective Date

The amendments made by subsection (a) of this section shall apply with respect to social security cards issued after 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act. Nothing in this Act or the amendments made thereby shall be construed to require the reissuance of a social security card that has been issued during or prior to such 2-year period in a form that meets the standards established in such amendments, unless the reissuance of such card is determined by the Commissioner of Social Security to be necessary by reason of loss or theft of, or damage to, the card.